About 3.5 million of American children under the age of five are at risk of going hungry, an anti-hunger group says.

This accounts for about 17 percent of the American kids under five, Feeding America says in its report 'Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2005 - 2007.

The rate of food insecurity in young children is 33 percent higher than in US adults, where one in eight live at risk of hunger, according to the report.

The report revealed that in 11 states, more than 20 percent of children under age five may go hungry.

Louisiana had the highest rate of under 25 percent, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas.

The report also found that food insecurity among all children (persons less than 18 years of age) increased dramatically in many states, when compared to data collected by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) between 2003 and 2005.

More than 12 million children in the United States are food insecure - unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food necessary for a healthy life, the report says.

"The startling fact that so many very young children in this country do not have adequate nutrition necessary to grow and develop into healthy adults is heartbreaking. It is all the more tragic when one considers that it is also entirely preventable," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America.

"We know that a child who is hungry and cannot learn; they become a man or woman who cannot earn."

Before the current economic crisis, 11 percent of US households lacked enough food for an active, healthy life, according to Agriculture Department data.

Young children who go hungry can suffer lasting physical and behavioral problems, as well as poorer development and academic achievement, the report says.