Food Insecurity Predicts Magnitude of Early BMI Change in a Pediatric Weight Management Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of food insecurity among children with overweight/obesity presenting for weight management treatment and examine whether food insecurity predicts early change in body mass index (BMI), expressed as a percentage of the 95th percentile (%BMIp95). METHOD: Children (N = 69; ages 3-18 years) presenting to a hospital-based pediatric weight management intervention and 1 parent/guardian per child (N = 69) were included. At the first appointment, parents/guardians completed the US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-item Short Form and a demographics questionnaire. Height and weight of the children were measured at the first and third appointments to calculate %BMIp95. RESULTS: Among participating families, 29.0% reported experiencing food insecurity. Controlling for the ratio of income to poverty, 11.4% of the variance in %BMIp95 change from the first to third appointments was accounted for by food insecurity, ▵F (1, 66) = 8.46, p = 0.01. Children with greater food insecurity demonstrated a smaller magnitude of %BMIp95 decrease, representing a small-to-medium effect size within the context of the regression model (f2 = 0.13). CONCLUSION: A high proportion of families with children receiving weight management treatment reported experiencing food insecurity in comparison with US households with children. There may be unique characteristics of food insecurity, as opposed to household income alone, that explain the smaller magnitude of BMI decrease observed early in treatment. Future research should explore complex associations among food insecurity, income, BMI, and race over time.

Food Insecurity and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: Does Federal Nutrition Assistance Act as a Buffer?

OBJECTIVE: Food insecurity has been associated with a variety of adverse outcomes in adolescents. However, further research is needed to elucidate whether adolescent self-report food insecurity contributes to depressive symptoms. This study examined the (1) association between food insecurity and depressive symptoms and (2) moderating role of federal nutrition assistance in a nonclinical sample of adolescents. METHOD: Adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (N = 141) and one parent/guardian completed self-report questionnaires as part of 2 larger studies examining adolescent stress and eating behaviors. Adolescents (M age = 13.79 years, SD = 1.60, 53.9% female) completed measures of food insecurity and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: A bootstrapped linear regression model demonstrated that adolescent food insecurity was significantly, positively associated with depressive symptoms, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.19-1.64), after controlling for biological sex. Among dyads eligible for federal nutrition assistance (N = 64), the interaction between adolescent food insecurity and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation did not reach significance, ΔF(1, 59) = 1.06, 95% CI (-3.80 to 9.29). The interaction between adolescent food insecurity and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation trended toward significance, ΔF(1, 59) = 2.88, 95% CI (-5.73 to 0.47). CONCLUSION: Adolescents with food insecurity may be at a greater risk for experiencing elevated depressive symptoms. Whereas NSLP participation did not act as a buffer, SNAP participation may attenuate the association between food insecurity and depressive symptoms. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to develop a greater understanding of factors that may alter the relationship between adolescent food insecurity and depressive symptoms.

Toward a deeper understanding of food insecurity among college students: examining associations with emotional eating and biological sex.

OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to extend our understanding of food insecurity among college students, including aims to replicate the high prevalence of food insecurity among college student samples, examine the food insecurity - emotional eating association, and determine whether biological sex moderates this association. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 232 students (82.3% female; 83.2% Caucasian) enrolled at a U.S. university. METHODS: Participants completed the Household Food Security Survey Module: Short Form and Emotional Eating Scale as part of a larger study. RESULTS: Of the participants, 37.5% reported food insecurity. Food insecurity was positively associated with emotional eating (B = 1.35, 95% CI[0.24, 2.48]), controlling for body mass index (BMI). The association was stronger for males (95% CI[1.07, 6.54]) than females (95% CI[-0.29, 2.07]). CONCLUSIONS: College students, particularly males, who experience food insecurity may be at greater risk for emotional eating. Future research should investigate risk factors linked to both food insecurity and emotional eating among college students.