Ethnicity, Household Food Security, and Nutrition and Activity Patterns in Families With Preschool Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Public Health
• Child Development

Background:

• Food security is a critical determinant of child health and development.
• Understanding the interplay between food security, dietary patterns, and physical activity is essential for effective public health interventions.
• Ethnic and cultural factors may influence these relationships in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between food security and nutritional intake, sedentary behavior, and body mass index (BMI) in preschoolers.
• To investigate whether ethnic subgroup membership moderates these associations.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 1,211 children (ages 2-5) in subsidized child care centers.
• Confirmatory factor analysis assessed food security, fruit/vegetable intake, unhealthy food consumption, and sedentary behaviors.
• Linear mixed models with interaction terms analyzed relationships and ethnic moderation.

Main Results:

• Food security was significantly associated with fruit/vegetable intake, unhealthy food consumption, and sedentary behavior, but not BMI percentile.
• Greater food security correlated with increased fruit/vegetable intake and sedentary behavior among Haitians.
• Cubans and non-Hispanic whites showed decreased unhealthy food consumption with higher food security, while Haitians showed increased consumption.

Conclusions:

• Higher food security is linked to specific dietary and behavioral patterns in preschoolers, with significant ethnic variations.
• Interventions promoting healthy weight in low-income preschoolers should prioritize food security and be culturally tailored to diverse ethnic groups.