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How food insecurity affects children's behavior problems in early childhood: The nutrition and family stress pathways

Xuejiao Chen1, Wei-Jun Jean Yeung1,2

  • 1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

Plos One
|January 3, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Household food insecurity is linked to more behavior problems in young children. Family stress and poor nutrition are key factors, highlighting risks for vulnerable families.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Public Health
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Household food insecurity is a growing concern impacting child well-being.
  • Early childhood is a critical period for development, sensitive to environmental factors.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between household food insecurity and young children's behavior problems in Singapore.
  • To identify mediating pathways, including dietary intake and family stress, linking food insecurity to behavior issues.
  • To examine these associations over a two-year period, capturing changes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study (SG-LEADS).
  • Employed propensity score matching, fixed effects analysis, and lagged-variable models.
  • Analyzed a nationally representative sample of 2,601 children (aged 4.5 to 6 years).

Main Results:

  • A significant positive association was found between household food insecurity and children's behavior problems.
  • Mediating pathways included reduced vegetable intake, increased sugar-sweetened beverage and carbohydrate consumption, and heightened family stress.
  • Family stress emerged as a stronger mediator than nutritional intake in explaining behavior problems.

Conclusions:

  • Household food insecurity is a significant risk factor for early childhood behavior problems.
  • Interventions addressing family stress and improving nutrition are crucial for mitigating negative impacts.
  • Findings underscore the long-term developmental vulnerabilities faced by children in food-insecure households.

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