Food insecurity and dietary intake among US youth, 2007-2010

There is limited research describing associations between food insecurity and dietary intake.

To examine differences in dietary intake by food security status among a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents in the USA.

The sample included 5136 children, ages 2-15 years, from the National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey, 2007-2010. Propensity score weighting was used to improve covariate balance between food-secure and food-insecure (marginal, low or very low food security) participants. Multivariate measurement error models were used to model usual intake of various dietary components and assess differences by food security status.

Initial analyses using multivariate measurement error models determined there were no differences between food-insecure and food-secure children across several dietary components. In sensitivity analyses, children experiencing very low food security consumed fewer whole grains and more solid fats and added sugars compared with their food-secure counterparts. Some of these differences were attenuated after propensity score weighting, although intake of whole grains and added sugars remained significantly different.

Food insecurity was largely not associated with dietary intake among 2-15-year-old US children, although some differences were observed comparing food-secure children to those experiencing very low food security.