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Household food insecurity and overweight status in young school children: results from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.
Pediatrics 2006; 117(2):464-73Ped

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

Recent work on the determinants of obesity has shown a positive association between household food insecurity and overweight status in adult women, yet research exploring this issue in children has been inconclusive. In this study we examine the association between food insecurity and overweight status in young school children by using a large, nationally representative sample.

METHODS

Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) were analyzed. Replicate heights and weights were measured on kindergarten children (N = 16889) in the spring of 1999. Children with a body mass index > or = 95th percentile of their gender-specific BMI-for-age chart were considered overweight. Food-insecurity status was assessed by using the full 18-question US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between overweight and food-insecurity status while controlling for potential demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral confounders.

RESULTS

Overall, 11.2% of the girls and 11.8% of the boys were overweight. Children from food-insecure households were 20% less likely to be overweight than their food-secure counterparts. Similar results on the food-insecurity/overweight link were found across a range of different models and expressions for key variables. Positive predictors of overweight status included low physical activity, television watching for > 2 hours/day, high birth weight, black or Latino ethnicity, and low income.

CONCLUSIONS

There are strong arguments for reducing food insecurity among households with young children. This research suggests that these arguments would be based on reasons other than a potential link to obesity. Low activity levels and excessive television watching, however, were strongly related to overweight status, a finding that supports continued efforts to intervene in these areas.

Links

  • Publisher Full Text

    • Authors+Show Affiliations

    Rose D
    School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. diego@tulane.edu
    Bodor JN
    No affiliation info available

    MeSH

    ChildContinental Population GroupsEnergy IntakeFemaleFood SupplyHumansHungerLongitudinal StudiesMaleOverweightPovertySex FactorsSocioeconomic FactorsUnited States

    Pub Type(s)

    Journal Article
    Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

    Language

    eng

    PubMed ID

    16452367

    Citation

    Rose, Donald, and J Nicholas Bodor. "Household Food Insecurity and Overweight Status in Young School Children: Results From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study." Pediatrics, vol. 117, no. 2, 2006, pp. 464-73.
    Rose D, Bodor JN. Household food insecurity and overweight status in young school children: results from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Pediatrics. 2006;117(2):464-73.
    Rose, D., & Bodor, J. N. (2006). Household food insecurity and overweight status in young school children: results from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Pediatrics, 117(2), pp. 464-73.
    Rose D, Bodor JN. Household Food Insecurity and Overweight Status in Young School Children: Results From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Pediatrics. 2006;117(2):464-73. PubMed PMID: 16452367.
    * Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
    TY - JOUR T1 - Household food insecurity and overweight status in young school children: results from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. AU - Rose,Donald, AU - Bodor,J Nicholas, PY - 2006/2/3/pubmed PY - 2006/2/28/medline PY - 2006/2/3/entrez SP - 464 EP - 73 JF - Pediatrics JO - Pediatrics VL - 117 IS - 2 N2 - OBJECTIVE: Recent work on the determinants of obesity has shown a positive association between household food insecurity and overweight status in adult women, yet research exploring this issue in children has been inconclusive. In this study we examine the association between food insecurity and overweight status in young school children by using a large, nationally representative sample. METHODS: Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) were analyzed. Replicate heights and weights were measured on kindergarten children (N = 16889) in the spring of 1999. Children with a body mass index > or = 95th percentile of their gender-specific BMI-for-age chart were considered overweight. Food-insecurity status was assessed by using the full 18-question US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between overweight and food-insecurity status while controlling for potential demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral confounders. RESULTS: Overall, 11.2% of the girls and 11.8% of the boys were overweight. Children from food-insecure households were 20% less likely to be overweight than their food-secure counterparts. Similar results on the food-insecurity/overweight link were found across a range of different models and expressions for key variables. Positive predictors of overweight status included low physical activity, television watching for > 2 hours/day, high birth weight, black or Latino ethnicity, and low income. CONCLUSIONS: There are strong arguments for reducing food insecurity among households with young children. This research suggests that these arguments would be based on reasons other than a potential link to obesity. Low activity levels and excessive television watching, however, were strongly related to overweight status, a finding that supports continued efforts to intervene in these areas. SN - 1098-4275 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/16452367/Household_food_insecurity_and_overweight_status_in_young_school_children:_results_from_the_Early_Childhood_Longitudinal_Study_ L2 - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16452367 DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -