One in four African-American households struggle to put food on the table, compared to about one in seven of all households. Similarly, one in four African Americans lives in poverty, compared to about one in eight overall.

"Poverty among African-American children is especially alarming; it would hardly be an overstatement to say an entire generation of African-American children is at risk of being set back due to the current recession," said Bishop Don Williams, head of African-American church relations at Bread for the World.

According to the analysis, an alarming 90 percent of African- American children will receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly the Food Stamp Program) benefits at some point before age 20, compared to 49 percent of all U.S. children. Additionally, 34 percent of African-American children live in families that struggle to put food on the table.

Increased rates of hunger and poverty in the African-American community correlate with decreased economic opportunity.

"A job is the best anti-hunger program," said Asma Lateef, director of Bread for the World Institute.      

But race, hunger, and poverty are also related to education and family structure, weaving a web of roadblocks and reduced outcomes that reinforce racial disparity in the United States.

Bread for the World applauded President Barack Obama in late January for committing to put more American workers back on the job and restoring security for middle-class families during his State of the Union address.

In a recent report, Bread for the World said that hunger and poverty may increase the risk of obesity.

The causes of obesity are complex; and problems associated with being overweight and obese affect all Americans, regardless of income or race. Emerging research suggests, however, that hunger, poverty and obesity may be intricately linked. Recent work from Cornell University and the University of California at Davis suggest that obesity among poor women may be linked to their habit of periodically going without food so that their children can eat.

Others factors also may contribute to the problem. Low- income people may consume greater amounts of less expensive, high-calorie and high-fat foods to guard against hunger, or may be unable to afford sufficient amounts of more nutritious food. Cash-strapped families may increasingly rely on fast food chains, which promote "value" meals, such as oversized burgers, extra-large servings of fries and buckets of soda. Healthier foods - such as meat, fish, fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains - often are more expensive than alternative junk food.

Poor neighborhoods often lack large grocery stores that typically offer the lowest prices and greatest range of brands, package sizes and quality choices.

They also often do not have access to farmers' markets that sell locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Transportation to these large grocery stores and farmers' markets also may be unavailable or expensive. Consequently, many families in low-income neighborhoods depend on their corner convenience stores, which often are stocked with high-cost, processed, pre-packaged foods. Exacerbating this problem, low-income families, especially those living in urban areas, often do not have safe areas for physical activity. Burning calories by exercising is half of the weight control solution.

This article was originally published in the March 1, 2010 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper