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The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's Food Insecurity Questionnaire Completed by Children: Effects
Suzanne D Baxter1, Albert F Smith2, David B Hitchcock3
1Research Professor, Institute for Families in Society, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 507, Columbia, SC, USA, 29208, orcid.org/0000-0002-9031-9087.
Insights
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's food insecurity questionnaire showed modest reliability in 4th graders. Further validation is needed for diverse populations, as results varied by race and academic achievement.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health Research
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Background:
- Food insecurity is a significant public health concern affecting children's well-being.
- Accurate measurement of food insecurity in diverse pediatric populations is crucial for effective intervention.
- The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides valuable data on health and nutrition status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the test-retest reliability of the NHANES food insecurity questionnaire in a sample of 4th-grade children.
- To examine how reliability and reported food insecurity levels vary across different demographic and socioeconomic subgroups.
- To evaluate the questionnaire's suitability for use with diverse groups of children.
Main Methods:
- The NHANES food insecurity questionnaire was administered to 155 fourth-grade children on two separate occasions (28-32 days apart).
- Participants included African American, White, and "Other" racial/ethnic groups, with data collected via classroom and interview modes.
- Analyses considered variables such as gender, race, socioeconomic status, academic achievement, BMI percentile, and social desirability.
Main Results:
- The questionnaire demonstrated modest test-retest reliability, with similar results across assessment modes and subgroups.
- Higher academic achievement correlated with lower reported food insecurity in White and "Other" children, and slightly lower in African American children.
- Increased social desirability was associated with slightly higher reported food insecurity in White and African American children, and substantially higher in "Other" children.
Conclusions:
- The NHANES food insecurity questionnaire may be acceptable for use with diverse 4th-grade children.
- However, the study highlights the need for further validation to ensure accurate measurement across different subgroups.
- Variations in reporting based on race, academic achievement, and social desirability underscore the complexity of measuring food insecurity.
Abstract:
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's food insecurity questionnaire was administered to 155 children (77 African American, 65 White, 13 "Other" [7 Hispanic; 6 mixed races]) in grade 4 twice, 28-32 days apart. Test-retest reliabilities were modest and somewhat similar for assessment mode (classroom, interview) and subgroup variables (gender, race, socioeconomic status, academic achievement, body mass index percentile, social desirability). As academic achievement increased, White and Other children reported less food insecurity, and African-American children reported slightly less. As social desirability increased, White and African-American children reported slightly more food insecurity, and Other children reported substantially more. Although the questionnaire may be acceptable for use with diverse groups of children in grade 4, validation is needed.