Children's Dietary Quality and Micronutrient Adequacy by Food Security in the Household and among Household Children.

Shinyoung Jun,Regan L Bailey,Heather A Eicher-Miller,Mary J Zeh

doi:10.3390/nu11050965

Shinyoung Jun, Regan L Bailey + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11050965

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Abstract

Children’s food-security status has been described largely based on either the classification of food security in the household or among household children, but few studies have investigated the relationship between food security among household children and overall dietary quality. Our goal was to examine children’s dietary quality and micronutrient adequacy by food-security classification for the household and among household children. Data from 5540 children (2–17 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014 were analyzed. Food-security status was assessed using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and categorized into high, marginal, low, and very low food security for the households and among household children. Dietary quality and micronutrient adequacy were characterized by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 and Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR; based on total nutrient intakes from diet and dietary supplements), respectively. The HEI 2015 scores did not substantially vary by either food-security classification, but the MAR was greater in high compared to very low food security in households and among household children; a linear relationship was found only among household children. In general, very good agreement was observed between the classifications, but the strength of agreement differed by children’s age, race/Hispanic origin, and family income. In conclusion, micronutrient adequacy, but not dietary quality, significantly differed by food-security status. While the agreement between food security in the household and among household children is very good, classification of food security among household children may be more sensitive to detecting differences in exposure to nutrients.

Highlights

Food insecurity occurs when consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life is limited or uncertain due to lack of resources for food [1,2]
Dietary-supplement use was highest in the high food security category, classified by both household food security (40.4%) and food security among household children (37.3%; Figure 2)
The Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) calculated from diet alone was greater in the high food security category compared to the very low food-security category classed for both household and household children (Figure 3A)

Summary

Introduction

Food insecurity occurs when consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life is limited or uncertain due to lack of resources for food [1,2]. Food-security status in the United States (U.S.) has been assessed since 1995 by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) [3]. The USDA classification of food insecurity represents a range of experiences characterizing limited resources for food: high food security is defined as no indication of limits to food access, marginal food security as anxiety about securing food but little indication of changes in diet or food intake, low food security as reduced quality of diet, and very low food security as altered eating patterns and reduced quantity of food intake [2]. The ranges of experience for the household or children in the household (i.e., household children) are classified using the Household Food Security Scale or the Child Food

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