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

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Longitudinal studies on household food insecurity and adolescent adiposity are limited.
• Understanding this relationship is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between household food insecurity and changes in adolescent adiposity over a two-year period.
• To examine if sex moderates the impact of food insecurity on adiposity.

Main Methods:

• The study included 222 adolescents from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with data collected over two years.
• Household food security was assessed using a validated parent-reported survey.
• Adiposity was measured using anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and MRI, analyzed with multivariable multilevel models.

Main Results:

• Food-insecure adolescents showed significantly greater increases in BMI_p95, waist circumference, total body fat percentage, and visceral adipose tissue mass compared to food-secure peers.
• These associations were consistent across various measures of adiposity.
• No significant sex-based differences were observed in the effect of food insecurity on adiposity.

Conclusions:

• Household food insecurity has a detrimental effect on adolescent adiposity development.
• Interventions aimed at reducing food insecurity could be a key strategy in preventing adolescent obesity.