Impact of Food Insecurity on Childhood Obesity

Background: Extensive research has documented the link between small for gestational age (SGA) infants, large for gestational age (LGA) infants, maternal obesity, and adverse short-term (infant/child health) and long-term (cardiovascular and metabolic) outcomes. Obese children are more likely to remain obese; this risk increases the earlier the onset of obesity began. This presentation reports a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a study of Hispanic mothers and children enrolled in a WIC program in South Texas who were examined from an ecological framework for variables that impact weight, nutrition, and growth.

Methods: Children ages 1-4 and their mothers were measured for weight, height, dietary practices, family structures, food insecurity, demographics, and acculturation. The relationships among these variables were measured with bivariate correlations, and significant relationships were explored for their link to measures of food insecurity.

Results: Child BMI was significantly positively related to birth weight, maternal BMI, age of introduction of solids; and significantly negatively related to being breastfed, length of time breastfed, and maternal country of origin. All of these measures were significantly associated with food insecurity, and all measures of food insecurity were significantly positively associated with each other.

Conclusion: Children's BMIs may not be directly associated with food insecurity, but many factors that impact children's growth and size are strongly associated with measures of food insecurity. This suggests that policies and interventions addressing food insecurity are needed to develop healthy children. Public health nurses can build coalitions to address food insecurity in their communities.