242396 Interaction between maternal age and depression is associated with household food insecurity: Cross-sectional analyses among two samples of low-income families with infants and toddlers

Wednesday, November 2, 2011: 9:20 AM

Nicholas Tilton, BS , Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Anna Quigg, PhD, BCBA , Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Margo Candelaria, PhD , Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Laura Scaletti, MA , Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Maureen Black, PhD , Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Falguni Patel, BA , Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
     
BACKGROUND: Food insecurity (FI) and caregiver depression are related to poor child health and developmental problems. We examined how maternal age, depression, and their interaction relate to FI. METHODS: Data were obtained from two samples of low-income families with children aged < 36 months (S1: n=3990; S2: n=300). FI was measured with USDA's Food Security Scale and depression with validated screening instruments. A plot of age vs. observed FI odds revealed visual evidence of curvilinear relationship. We fit a logistic regression model predicting FI odds, with depression status, an exponential age transformation, and their interaction as independent variables. RESULTS: In S1 data, due to the interaction (p=0.03), the predicted odds ratio (OR) of FI in depressed vs. non-depressed mothers varied with age. Between 17 and 29, depressed mothers experienced ~3.5 times higher FI odds than non-depressed mothers (OR=3.62–3.40, p<0.001). After 30, the OR diminished with a sharp increase in odds among non-depressed mothers (age transformation p<0.001) and smaller increase among depressed mothers. At 41, depression accounted for a 2-fold increase in odds (OR=1.96), and no difference at 45 (OR=1.01). In S2, depressed mothers experienced 2.8 times greater FI odds than non-depressed mothers (OR=2.84, p<0.01). Age and its interaction with depression were not significant predictors. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest younger depressed mothers experience significantly higher household FI prevalence than non-depressed mothers, but non-depressed mothers experience a stark increase after age 30. This research provides basis for studying potential causes of vulnerability to FI among older and depressed mothers of young children in low-income families.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Epidemiology
Public health or related research
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Identify adverse health and development outcomes of Food Insecurity (FI) in young children from published research. Assess the viability of modeling a curvilinear relationship between maternal age and odds of household FI in large samples. Design an appropriate age transformation for use in logistic regression models when evidence of curvilinearity is found. Evaluate the effect of maternal depression, as well as its possible interaction with age in predicting odds of household FI prevalence.

Keywords: Food Security, Depression

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have extensive training and practical experience in statistical analysis of sample datasets, as well as the epidemiological background necessary for formulation of hypotheses and interpretation of results.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Maternal and Infant Health Epidemiology
See more of: Epidemiology