Food Insecurity and Disease: Prevalence, Policy, and Politics

Food insecurity and disease are inextricably linked. The chapters in this valuable articles compendium reinforce that message by specifically linking food insecurity to various forms of chronic disease, including HIV/AIDS and obesity, as well as mental health issues. Providing a nuanced look at food insecurity and its connection to disease, the quality of the research gathered here advances our understanding of this issue; the chapter authors have provided us with a solid foundation on which to build well-informed clinical practice, further research, and effective future policy.This informative compendium will provide insight on these important issues for students and scholars in security studies, international politics, and environmental studies.

Areej Hassan, MD, MPH, is an attending in the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency training in Pediatrics at Brown University before her fellowship at BCH. In addition to primary care, Dr.Hassan focuses her clinical interests on reproductive endocrinology and global health. She also maintains an active role in medical education and has particular interest in building and developing innovative teaching tools through open educational resources. She currently teaches, consults, and is involved in pediatric and adolescent curricula development at multiple sites abroad in Central America and Southeast Asia.