About eight percent of Canadians, just under 2.5 million people, were forced to limit the quality or quantity of their diet at least once in 1998-99 because of poverty, Statistics Canada reported.
In a survey released Wednesday, an estimated three million Canadians -- 10 percent -- were living in what is known as a "food-insecure" household at some point in the two years examined.
Food-insecurity results from a household worried about a lack of money to buy food; a shortage in quality or variety of foods; or simply not having enough to eat.
Households experiencing food insecurity often have limited or uncertain access to enough food for a healthy, active life and may have irregular food intake, relying sometimes on emergency food sources.
Children under 17 were most likely to live in a food-insecure household; seniors over 65 were the least likely to do so.
Though the study could not directly correlate food insecurity to health, health problems including obesity were more prevalent among people in food-insecure households than in those where there were few financial considerations related to diet. |
