The study was funded by a $50,000 grant from the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, which supports programs for children's health and welfare. The findings are contained in a report, "Food Security: Ensuring the Health of Baltimore's Babies," written by Black and colleagues.
Sharfstein announced a few simple steps aimed at identifying children in need while linking them to services.
For instance, the city health department is urging pediatricians to ask two related questions to parents of young patients: Over the past year, did they worry that food would run out before they got money to buy more? And did they find that, indeed, the food they bought didn't last before they could afford another purchase?
Doctors and social workers should refer parents who answer "yes" to either question to pantries and offices where they can apply for nutritional services, according to a city advisory.
The health department has also established a Web site - www.hungryinbaltimore.org - that has a list of food assistance programs and a map of pantries supplied by the Maryland Food Bank.
"The research compels an immediate response," Sharfstein said. "Everyone caring for families in Baltimore should be asking questions about food security and connecting families to resources."
Dr. David Paige, a pediatrician and professor at the Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, said children spanning the social spectrum can look the same because of their "T-shirt and dungarees" attire. It belies the fact that many are lacking in essential nutrients such as iron and zinc.
In the first few years of life, he said, children are particularly vulnerable because the brain is growing and establishing important connections.
Researchers in three other cities have conducted similar studies in hospitals serving poor areas. Baltimore had the lowest percentage of children from "food insecure families." In Little Rock, Ark., 14.6 percent met the definition; Philadelphia, 16.4 percent; Boston, 20.8 percent, and Minneapolis, 40.5 percent.
But Black said comparisons can be deceiving. In Boston and Minneapolis, with healthier economies than Baltimore's, the hospitals were in neighborhoods with heavy immigrant populations.
Newly arrived immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented, often have trouble finding services or fear reprisals if they do, she said. Despite this, WIC serves immigrants meeting income-eligibility requirements whether or not they have proper documentation.
jonathan.bor@baltsun.com
