Using multilevel modeling to compare food security changes over time and seasons among mother child dyads living in South Texas colonias

The longitudinal relationship of mother- and child-reported food insecurity was evaluated among 54 Mexican-origin mother-child dyads in Alton and San Carlos area colonias along the Texas-Mexico border. Food insecurity is associated with decreased physiological, psychological, social, behavioral, and academic functioning. Promotora-researchers utilized Spanish-language USDA food security and demographic surveys during four waves of in-person interviews over two years. Mother and child models were fit using mixed-effects logistic regression. Seventy percent of households (mother-reported) and 42% of children (self-reported) were food insecure. Household- and child-level food insecurity fluctuated in-sync during the study. Food security changed over time (Mother-reported Odds Ratio (OR) 0.996, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.994, 0.998; Child-reported OR 0.993, 95% CI 0.990, 0.995). This research revealed two important findings; first, time has a statistically significant effect on food security at the household and child levels. Second, children are capable of and willing to report their own food security experiences. This study, the first that we know of to use a longitudinal study design to assess mother and child reports of food security experiences, allowed for discerning intra-household differences in food security at multiple time points, while previous research used cross-sectional designs and relied on mother reports for the status of all household members. Repeated measurements among mothers and children will help researchers and policymakers better understand food security, provide a tool with which to accurately assess the prevalence of food insecurity, aid in program development, and assist advocates and policymakers with improving children's health in the United States.