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Food insufficiency and American school-aged children's cognitive, academic, and psychosocial development
K Alaimo1, C M Olson, E A Frongillo
1School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. kalaimo@umich.edu
Insights
Food insufficiency in US children and teens is linked to poorer academic performance and more psychosocial difficulties. These negative effects highlight the need for public health initiatives to improve family food security.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Nutrition
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Food insufficiency, defined as not having enough to eat, affects a significant number of American families.
- Understanding the impact of food insecurity on child development is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between family food insufficiency and cognitive, academic, and psychosocial outcomes in US children and adolescents.
- To analyze these associations across different age groups (6-11 and 12-16 years) and risk strata.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
- Classification of children based on family food sufficiency status reported by respondents.
- Regression analyses adjusted for poverty and other confounders to assess outcomes.
Main Results:
- Food-insufficient children (6-11 years) showed lower arithmetic scores, higher rates of grade repetition, and increased psychological/social difficulties.
- Food-insufficient adolescents (12-16 years) reported more psychologist visits, school suspensions, and peer relationship problems.
- The impact of food insufficiency on outcomes varied between lower-risk and higher-risk groups.
Conclusions:
- Family-level food insufficiency is significantly associated with adverse academic and psychosocial outcomes in children and adolescents.
- Findings support public health interventions aimed at enhancing food security for American families.
Objective:
This study investigates associations between food insufficiency and cognitive, academic, and psychosocial outcomes for US children and teenagers ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 16 years.
Methods:
Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) were analyzed. Children were classified as food-insufficient if the family respondent reported that his or her family sometimes or often did not get enough food to eat. Regression analyses were conducted to test for associations between food insufficiency and cognitive, academic, and psychosocial measures in general and then within lower-risk and higher-risk groups. Regression coefficients and odds ratios for food insufficiency are reported, adjusted for poverty status and other potential confounding factors.
Results:
After adjusting for confounding variables, 6- to 11-year-old food-insufficient children had significantly lower arithmetic scores and were more likely to have repeated a grade, have seen a psychologist, and have had difficulty getting along with other children. Food-insufficient teenagers were more likely to have seen a psychologist, have been suspended from school, and have had difficulty getting along with other children. Further analyses divided children into lower-risk and higher-risk groups. The associations between food insufficiency and children's outcomes varied by level of risk.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate that negative academic and psychosocial outcomes are associated with family-level food insufficiency and provide support for public health efforts to increase the food security of American families.