ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Carilion pediatricians will begin screening for poverty during routine check-ups.
Doctors said children in low income families are a risk for more health problems like malnutrition.
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Pediatricians will ask a series of questions about basic needs: eating habits and access to household medication. They say all of these factors play into the child's health.
"Just because it impacts everything," said Dr. Alice Ackrman, a pediatrician at Carilion. "It is a big, big problem in terms of determining the long term health of our children and that's a big issue in determining the long term health of our society."
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced the new screenings this week.