Household Food Insecurity and Parent-to-Child Aggression

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse J. Helton ◽  
Dylan B. Jackson ◽  
Brian B. Boutwell ◽  
Michael G. Vaughn
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Physical Aggression ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fragile Families ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Child Aggression ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Nutritional Deficits

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.

scholarly journals The Relation Between Household Food Insecurity and Children's Height in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1126-1137
Author(s):  
Andrée-Anne Fafard St-Germain ◽  
Arjumand Siddiqi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Income ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Optimal Linear ◽  
High Risk Populations ◽  
Families With Children

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.

scholarly journals Why the World Should Not Follow the Failed United States Model of Fighting Domestic Hunger

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 814
Author(s):  
Joel Berg ◽  
Angelica Gibson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Household Food

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.

scholarly journals Predictors of household food insecurity in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna N Lauren ◽  
Elisabeth R Silver ◽  
Adam S Faye ◽  
Jennifer A Woo Baidal ◽  
Elissa M Ozanne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Household Food

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.

scholarly journals Severity of Household Food Insecurity Is Positively Associated with Mental Disorders among Children and Adolescents in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 146 (10) ◽  
pp. 2019-2026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P Burke ◽  
Lauren H Martini ◽  
Ebru Çayır ◽  
Heather L Hartline-Grafton ◽  
Randa L Meade
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
The United States ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Household Food

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on child malnutrition, obesity in women and household food insecurity in underserved urban settlements in Sri Lanka: a prospective follow up study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Renuka Jayatissa ◽  
Himali Herath ◽  
Amila Gayan Perera ◽  
Thulasika Thejani Dayaratne ◽  
Nawmali Dhanuska De Alwis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Child Malnutrition ◽  
Nutrition Status ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Urban Settlements

Abstract Objectives: To determine changes and factors associated with child malnutrition, obesity in women and household food insecurity before and after the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A prospective follow up study. Setting: In 2019, the baseline Urban Health and Nutrition Study (UHNS-2019) was conducted in 603 households, which were selected randomly from 30 clusters to represent underserved urban settlements in Colombo. In the present study, 35% of households from the UHNS-2019 cohort were randomly selected for repeat interviews, one year after the baseline study and 6 months after COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. Height/length and weight of children and women were re-measured, household food insecurity was reassessed, and associated factors were gathered through interviewer administered questionnaires. Differences in measurements at baseline and follow-up studies were compared. Participants: A total of 207 households, comprising 127 women and 109 children were included. Results: The current prevalence of children with wasting and overweight was higher in the follow-up study than at baseline UHNS-2019 (18.3%vs13.7%;p=0.26 and 8.3%vs3.7%;p=0.12 respectively). There was a decrease in prevalence of child stunting (14.7%vs11.9%;p=0.37). A change was not observed in overall obesity in women, which was around 30.7%. Repeated lockdown was associated with a significant reduction in food security from 57% in UHNS-2019 to 30% in the current study (p<0.001). Conclusions: There was an increase in wasting and overweight among children while women had a persistent high prevalence of obesity. This population needs suitable interventions to improve nutrition status of children and women to minimise susceptibility to COVID-19.

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