Household Food Insecurity Shows Associations with Food Intake, Social Support Utilization and Dietary Change among Refugee Adult Caregivers Resettled in the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Anderson ◽  
Diana S. Hadzibegovic ◽  
Jeanne M. Moseley ◽  
Daniel W. Sellen
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1126-1137
Author(s):  
Andrée-Anne Fafard St-Germain ◽  
Arjumand Siddiqi

ABSTRACT Household food insecurity is a determinant of health and marker of material deprivation. Although research has shown that food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse health, developmental and nutritional outcomes among children in high-income countries, little is known about its impact on children's height, an important marker of nutritional status and physical development. We reviewed evidence on the relation between experience-based measures of food insecurity and the height of children aged 0–18 y in Canada and the United States. The search, conducted in Embase, Medline, CINAHL, ProQuest, Web of Science, and EconLit from the inception of the databases to October 2017, identified 811 records that were screened for relevance. A total of 8 peer-reviewed studies, 2 from Canada and 6 from the United States, met the inclusion criteria and were summarized. Five studies found no association between food insecurity and children's height. One study found that having taller children in the household predicted more severe food insecurity, whereas 2 studies found that more severe experiences of food insecurity were associated with shorter height among children from ethnic minority populations. These results suggest that household food insecurity may not be associated with height inequalities among children in Canada and the United States, except perhaps in certain high-risk populations. However, the few studies identified for review provide insufficient evidence to determine whether food insecurity is or is not associated with children's height in these countries. Given the importance of optimal linear growth for current and future well-being, it is critical to understand how different modifiable environmental circumstances relate to children's height to help establish priorities for intervention. Families with children are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, and more research explicitly designed to examine the association between household food insecurity and children's height in high-income countries is needed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse J. Helton ◽  
Dylan B. Jackson ◽  
Brian B. Boutwell ◽  
Michael G. Vaughn

Nearly 13 million children in the United States live in households struggling with food insecurity. Although biosocial theories suggest a strong link between the lack of food and child maltreatment, and a handful of studies have established a correlation between nutritional deficits and family violence, it is unclear if household food insecurity itself is associated with physical and psychological child abuse apart from other issues related to poverty. The current study examines this possibility by analyzing data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study ( n = 2,330). Sixteen percent of households were food insecure, and food insecurity at Wave 3 was associated with an increased use of parent-to-child psychological and physical aggression at the follow-up interview. This relationship held even after controlling for important covariates, such as maternal depression and impulsivity. We conclude by discussing what additional research is required, as well as how our findings might intersect with social policy on this topic.


Author(s):  
Joel Berg ◽  
Angelica Gibson

Many industrialized nations have followed the lead of the United States (US) in reducing workers’ wages and cutting government safety nets, while giving their populaces the false impression that non-governmental organizations can meet the food and basic survival needs of their low-income residents. The history of the last 50 years and the global COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate why that is a mistake, leading to vastly increased household food insecurity, poverty, and hunger. This paper takes a close look at US data to help to better understand the significant impact US federal government policy measures had on limiting hunger throughout the pandemic and how we can learn from these outcomes to finally end hunger in America and other developed nations. The top three policy prescriptions vital in ending household food insecurity in the US and industrialized countries are as follows: (1) to create jobs; raise wages; make high quality healthcare and prescription medicine free; and ensure that high quality childcare, education, transportation, and broad-band access are affordable to all; (2) to enact a comprehensive “Assets Empowerment Agenda” to help low-income people move from owing to owning in order to develop middle-class wealth; and (3) when the above two steps are inadequate, ensure a robust government safety net for struggling residents that provides cash, food, and housing assistance.


Author(s):  
Brianna N Lauren ◽  
Elisabeth R Silver ◽  
Adam S Faye ◽  
Jennifer A Woo Baidal ◽  
Elissa M Ozanne ◽  
...  

Objective: To examine associations between sociodemographic and mental health characteristics with household food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Design: Cross-sectional online survey analyzed using univariable tests and a multivariable logistic regression model. Setting: The United States during the week of March 30, 2020. Participants: Convenience sample of 1,965 American adults using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform. Participants reporting household food insecurity prior to the pandemic were excluded from analyses. Results: 1,517 participants reported household food security before the COVID-19 outbreak. Among this subset, 30% reported food insecurity after the COVID-19 outbreak, 53% were women and 72% were white. On multivariable analysis, race, income, relationship status, anxiety, and depression were significantly associated with incident household food insecurity. Black respondents, Hispanic/Latino respondents, and respondents with annual income less than $100,000 were significantly more likely to experience incident household food insecurity. Individuals experiencing incident household food insecurity were 2.09 (95% CI 1.58-2.83) times more likely to screen positively for anxiety and 1.88 (95% CI 1.37-2.52) times more likely to screen positively for depression. Conclusions: Food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic is common, and certain populations are particularly vulnerable. There are strong associations between food insecurity and anxiety/depression. Public health interventions to increase the accessibility of healthful foods, especially for Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, are crucial to relieving the economic stress of this pandemic.


2016 ◽  
Vol 146 (10) ◽  
pp. 2019-2026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P Burke ◽  
Lauren H Martini ◽  
Ebru Çayır ◽  
Heather L Hartline-Grafton ◽  
Randa L Meade

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 2915-2924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kammi K Schmeer ◽  
Barbara A Piperata ◽  
Andrés Herrera Rodríguez ◽  
Virgilio Mariano Salazar Torres ◽  
Francisco José Centeno Cárdenas

AbstractObjectiveWomen (especially mothers) are theorized as critical to reducing household food insecurity through their work and caregiver roles. The present study tests these assumptions, assessing how maternal economic and social resources are associated with food insecurity in households with young children.DesignData from a population-based sample of households was collected in León, Nicaragua (n 443). Data include a newly validated measure of household food insecurity (ELCSA), maternal resource measures, and household economic status and demographics. Regression analysis tests the statistical associations (P<0·05) of maternal resources with household, adult-specific and child-specific food insecurity.SettingMunicipality of León, Nicaragua.SubjectsHouseholds with children aged 3–11 years in rural and urban León.ResultsOnly 25 % of households with young children were food secure, with 50 % mildly food insecure and 25 % moderately/severely food insecure. When mothers contributed substantially to household income, the odds of moderate/severe household food insecurity were 34 % lower than when their spouse/partner was the main provider. The odds of food insecurity were 60 % lower when mothers managed household money, 48 % lower when mothers had a secondary (v. primary) education, 65 % higher among single mothers and 16 % lower with each indicator of social support. Results were similar for adult- and child-specific food insecurity.ConclusionsThis research provides new evidence that maternal economic and social resources are important for reducing household food insecurity and adult- and child-specific food insecurity. Women’s social status, social support and access to economic resources need to be enhanced as a part of policies aimed to reduce food insecurity in high-poverty settings.


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