Household Food Insecurity Is Associated With Higher Adiposity Over Time Among Adolescents in Louisiana

Few studies have examined how household food insecurity may impact longitudinal changes in adiposity among adolescents.

We investigated the link between household food insecurity and 2-year change in adolescent adiposity, with sex as a potential moderator.

Analyses included 222 adolescents living in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who participated in the TIGER Kids study (baseline: June 2016-December 2017; follow-up: January 2018-August 2019). Household food security was measured using a validated two-question parent-reported survey. Adiposity outcomes were collected using anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Multivariable multilevel models assessed associations between household food security and changes in adiposity.

At baseline, the participants were 12.9 ± 1.9 years, 50.5% female, 37.4% non-White or Hispanic, 31.5% had obesity, and 11.3% were food insecure. Food-insecure adolescents exhibited significantly greater increases in BMI_p95 (b = 6.0% ± 2.2%, p = 0.0082), waist circumference (b = 4.1 ± 1.7 cm, p = 0.0158), total body fat percentage (b = 3.0% ± 1.3%, p = 0.0194) and visceral adipose tissue mass (b = 0.16 ± 0.06 kg, p = 0.0163), compared to their food-secure peers. The effect of food insecurity on adiposity did not differ between boys and girls.

This longitudinal study highlights the deleterious influence of food insecurity on adolescent adiposity. Efforts to alleviate food insecurity may play an important role in preventing obesity in adolescents.