Nearly 1 in 5 young children in the United States are not getting enough to eat, new research found.

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Research released Wednesday shows a rise in food insecurity without modern precedent. Nearly a fifth of young children are not getting enough to eat, according to surveys of their mothers by the Brookings Institution, a rate three times higher than in 2008 at the worst of the Great Recession, reports Jason DeParle.

When food runs short, parents often skip meals to keep children fed. But a survey of households with children 12 and under by Lauren Bauer, a Brookings fellow in economic studies, found that 17.4 percent reported the children themselves not eating enough, compared to 5.7 percent in the Great Recession. Inadequate nutrition can leave young children with permanent developmental damage.

“This is alarming,” she said. “These are households cutting back on portion sizes, having kids skip meals. The numbers are much higher than I expected.”

Ms. Bauer said disruptions in school meal programs may be part of the problem, with some families unable to reach distribution sites and older siblings at home competing for limited food.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/us/coronavirus-updates.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage#link-ba9024b