Social Capital in the Newborn Period and Household Food Insecurity at Child Age Two Years

Cross-sectional analyses have demonstrated an association between lower social capital and higher food insecurity in families with children. This study examined the association between social capital in the newborn period and household food insecurity at child age 2 years in a diverse US sample.

This secondary analysis used survey data from 596 child-caregiver dyads enrolled at 6 US academic sites in Greenlight Plus, a childhood obesity prevention trial. Proportional odds regression models analyzed associations between 2 newborn-period social capital measures, caregiver social support and neighborhood social cohesion, and household food insecurity at child age 2 years, adjusted for newborn-period food insecurity and sociodemographic covariates. Additional models evaluated the interaction between the 2 social capital exposures.

In adjusted analyses, a low caregiver social support score of 18 was associated with over 3 times the odds of higher food insecurity at child age 2 years, compared to a high score of 30 (aOR=3.23 with 95%CI=1.84-5.68). Low neighborhood social cohesion in the newborn period was not significantly associated with higher household food insecurity at child age 2 years, with similar odds for a low neighborhood social cohesion score of 10 compared to a high score of 20 (aOR= 1.24 with 95%CI=0.56-2.78). Results remained similar when both social capital exposures were included in the same model, and no significant interaction was detected.

Caregiver social support in the newborn period may represent a modifiable protective factor against developing or worsening household food insecurity in families with young children.