Household Food Security and Infant Adiposity

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Public Health
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Food insecurity is inconsistently linked to obesity, with limited data on infants.
• Previous studies have not fully explored the role of federal nutrition assistance programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between household food security and infant adiposity.
• To assess the modifying effects of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Main Methods:

• Repeatedly measured adiposity in 666 infants from the southeastern US (2013-2017).
• Categorized household food security using the US Household Food Security Survey Module.
• Employed covariate-adjusted repeated-measures linear and logistic regressions.

Main Results:

• Infants from very low food security households had higher BMI z scores and subscapular skinfold-for-age z scores.
• Higher odds of being at risk for overweight were observed in infants from very low and low food security households.
• No significant interactions were found between food security and WIC/SNAP participation.

Conclusions:

• Household food insecurity is associated with increased adiposity in infants.
• WIC and SNAP did not significantly modify the relationship between food security and infant adiposity in this cohort.
• Further investigation into food security and adiposity in young children is warranted.