Nov 2025- ‍Cultivating Connections: Collecting Food Security Data with Children's HealthWatch

‍Cultivating Connections: Collecting Food Security Data with Children's HealthWatch

Join us on Wednesday, November 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET for the Hunger Nutrition and Health Action Collaborative Monthly Webinar Series. Connect with partners across the U.S. dedicated to ending hunger and building healthy communities. This webinar will highlight successful strategies, food and nutrition system changes, multisector partnerships, and community-building efforts.

During this month's partner call, you will learn about efforts to collect food security data in four states. Our panelists include Ana Poblacion, PhD, MSc, Research Scientist and Director of Multisite Operations and Charlotte Bruce, Director of Policy, from Children's HealthWatch.

Ana Poblacion, PhD, MSc is the Research Scientist and Director of Multisite Operations at Children's HealthWatch. She is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Her research is concentrated at the intersection of maternal and child nutrition and health and social determinants of health, with a particular focus on food insecurity in the U.S. and Brazil. Dr. Poblacion's more than 100 publications have influenced state, national, and international policies on food insecurity and nutrition. Relevant to the webinar is Dr. Poblacion's lead role in the development and validation of several food security tools, as well as in data collection that culminate in policy changes. Her publication of the Abbreviated Child and Adult Food Security Survey (ACAFSS), an 8-item scale that identifies levels of food insecurity severity in both adults and children in the household, is currently used by researchers and health systems in the U.S. to identify and refer families to appropriate nutrition programs. She has also developed and validated a 1-item very low food security screen, used by states adopting a more stringent food security criterion to connect individuals with nutrition resources, currently adopted by MassHealth (Massachusetts Medicaid). She has also validated a 2-item food security screen for Brazil, which is currently implemented in the electronic health record of more than 50,000 health centers, allowing families to connect with food resources. As Children's HealthWatch Director of Operations, she oversees data collection at the front lines of pediatric care in four urban hospitals across the U.S.: Boston, Little Rock, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. These data help policymakers and the public better understand the social and economic factors that affect children's health, enabling them to make well-informed policy decisions that give all children equal opportunities for healthy, successful lives.  

Charlotte Bruce is the Director of Policy at Children's HealthWatch, a national network of pediatricians and child health researchers committed to achieving health equity for all children and their families by advancing research to transform policy. In her role, Charlotte leads state and federal legislative advocacy, translating research findings into actionable policy recommendations and working in coalition to advance policies that promote the health and well-being of all children. Her work focuses on understanding and addressing the social determinants of health that affect children and families, particularly those related to food insecurity and economic hardship.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn and connect. Please mark your calendar and join us for an engaging and informative session. Email your questions for the panelists to hnh@cdcfoundation.org.

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