NJ Department of Health Releases Hunger, Food Security, and Maternal Health Interactive Report

New Report Connects Food Access, Poverty, and Outcomes for Mothers and Children

TRENTON- In recognition of Maternal Health Awareness Day (January 23), the New Jersey Department of Health today published a new interactive report - Hunger, Food Security, and Maternal Health- illustrating the connections between food insecurity and maternal and infant health challenges, as well as other community conditions that may affect related health outcomes. Using publicly available data, the report shows that maternal and infant health outcomes can be intertwined with the lack of reliable access to healthy foods and other social, environmental, and economic factors that impact a person's health. 

Nearly 11% of New Jersey residents experience food insecurity, lacking access to sufficient food for an active, healthy life in 2022. Food Desert Communities (FDCs), designated by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) under Governor Phil Murphy's 2021 Food Desert Relief Act (FDRA), face the greatest challenges. Barriers such as low income, inadequate transportation to supermarkets, and limited access to quality markets exacerbate food insecurity in these areas.

These barriers can negatively impact health outcomes, contributing to conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. For pregnant individuals and their babies, lack of access to adequate, nutritious food can lead to increased risks of health issues, including poor prenatal development and other long-term complications. 

"As we commemorate the 7th annual Maternal Health Awareness Day in New Jersey, we are more committed than ever to address the root causes driving the maternal and infant health crisis,"said First Lady Tammy Murphy. "This report underscores the substantial impact food security can have on maternal and infant health outcomes. Through this kind of reporting, we are able to identify and communicate where we are making progress and where we are falling short for the mothers and babies in our state. We will continue to work with our Nurture NJ partners to address access to healthy and sustainable food options in every community across our state."

"Your ZIP code and your family's income are two of the strongest predictors of your health and longevity," said New Jersey Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM. "This report demonstrates in impressive detail the urgency of addressing fundamental needs like food access if we want to live in a healthy society."

"Food insecurity is a complex social challenge that requires deliberate collaboration to empower families in leading healthy lives. Tools that provide these partnerships with detailed data for informed and strategic decision-making are indispensable, and this report highlights the importance of such resources, said New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate Executive Director Mark Dinglasan. "I commend Commissioner Baston and the Department of Health team for their dedication in developing and launching this innovative tool. My office is committed to supporting the Commissioner and her team in raising awareness of this interactive resource and encouraging its use among all advocates of maternal health, ensuring every baby has the best possible start in life."

With the ability to zoom into any location in New Jersey and highlighting specific areas that are the most severe FDCs (i.e., Camden and Atlantic City), the Hunger, Food Security and Maternal Health report sheds light on maternal health outcomes, other social determinants of health, and supportive programs available in New Jersey communities, including those provided by NJDOH.

According to the report, in 50 FDCs across New Jersey, 71.5% of birthing individuals experienced coexisting conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight/obesity, pre-eclampsia, chronic cardiac disease, or anemia. Additionally, 18.8% of births in these communities resulted in poor outcomes, such as premature birth, low birth weight, NICU admission, or infant death. In comparison, in 50 New Jersey municipalities with the lowest food desert factor scores, indicating greater food access, only 58.9% of birthing individuals experienced coexisting conditions and 13.9% of births experienced similar poor infant outcomes.

The interactive report also maps ways NJDOH is actively working to address food insecurity through initiatives like the Healthy Corner Store Initiative (HCSI). The initiative increases the availability of healthy food and drink options in corner stores and bodegas across the State by working with small business owners to install refrigeration and other equipment necessary to stock fresh and nutritious foods. Most of the current 203 stores participating in the Healthy Corner Store Initiative are in areas identified as having low food access. Some Healthy Corner Stores also offer in-store education to promote healthier eating habits. Many of the stores allow people to buy food through Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and some are being outfitted with diagnostic machines for customers to check their blood pressure and other indicators.

In January 2019, First Lady Tammy Murphy launched Nurture NJ, as a statewide program committed to reducing the maternal mortality rates in New Jersey and ensuring equitable care among women and children of all races and ethnicities. In January 2021, the First Lady unveiled the Nurture NJ Maternal and Infant Health Strategic Plan, a blueprint to reduce New Jersey's maternal mortality rate by 50 percent over five years and eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes.

Since the launch of Nurture NJ, the State has made significant progress in maternal and infant health care and outcomes including:

• Seeing over 70 pieces of maternal and infant health legislation signed by Governor Murphy;

• Starting or completing over half of the Nurture NJ Maternal and Infant Health Strategic Plan recommendations;

• Establishing the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, tasked with overseeing the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center based in Trenton and will be the arm of government that continues the vital work of Nurture NJ past the Murphy Administration; and

• Launching Family Connects NJ, the most robust-in-the-nation universal nurse home visitation program to ensure that every new parent is visited by a nurse in their home for free within two weeks after bringing home a new baby.

Through these groundbreaking policies and programs, New Jersey has become a national leader in the fight against the maternal and infant health crisis.

The Administration has also worked to ensure that no family goes without food. The fight for food security is ongoing across state agencies, including efforts to provide access to free school meals, the first-in-the-nation Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) minimum benefit that ensures that every participating family receives at least $95 per month in essential food assistance, and Summer EBT benefits for families to buy nutritious foods.   

The New Jersey Department of Health is a nationally accredited health department working to ensure that all New Jerseyans live long, healthy lives and reach their fullest potential. With more than 5,500 employees, the Department serves to protect the public's health, promote healthy communities, and continue to improve the quality of health care in New Jersey.

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