Household food security and nutritional status of Hispanic children in the fifth grade

Background: Food insecurity is a critical variable for understanding the nutritional status of low-income populations. However, limited research is available on the relation between household food insecurity and children's nutritional status. Objective: Our objective was to examine the relations among household food insecurity, household food supplies, and school-age children's dietary intakes and body mass indexes (BMIs). Design: A sample of 124 predominantly Hispanic, fifth-grade children and their mothers were sun-eyed as part of a school-based obesity-prevention program. Data on the children's weights and heights were collected and three 24-h dietary recalls were conducted. The mothers provided reports of household food insecurity and household food supplies. Results: Food insecurity was negatively associated with the children's BMIs and household food supplies but not with the children's food intakes. However, a secondary analysis showed that as payday approached, children from the most food-insecure households had significant decreases in energy intakes and meat consumption. Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to report a significant association between food insecurity and children's nutritional status. The ages and sex-adjusted BMIs of the food-insecure children were lower than those of the food-secure children but were still within the normal range. The lower BMIs in the food-insecure children may have been due to short-term, yet periodic food restrictions that resulted as household food supplies diminished before payday. Future research is needed to assess the physio-logic and psychological effects of periodic food restriction on children's health.