Food insecurity in early life and BMI z‐score change among children from 2 to 15 years

Abstract

Food insecurity disproportionately affects children and families at highest risk for obesity. Initially perceived as separate health problems, there is growing concern that food insecurity and obesity are related. Longitudinal studies that examine the relationship food insecurity and weight status in children have found contradicting and inconclusive results. We hypothesized that the timing and transitions in food insecurity have different consequences for risk of developing obesity. Longitudinal data from a rural New York State birth cohort (n=517) were used to determine whether the rate of change in BMI z‐score in childhood, 2 to 15 years, differ by exposure food insecurity at birth and 2 years of age. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the rate of change in BMI z‐score during childhood. We found that food‐insecure children compared to food‐secure children, were smaller in early childhood. Due to a greater rate of change in BMI, by the time food‐insecure children reach 15 years of age they had higher BMI z‐scores. We provide evidence that children who experience food insecurity early in life have higher rates of change in BMI compared to food‐secure children, putting them at greater risk for overweight and obesity in adolescence. Our findings provide new insight into why longitudinal studies in early childhood have been inconclusive.Grant Funding Source: Support for this project was provided by a Dissertation Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its national program Active Living Research (ALR). Support for this student is provided in part by USDA National Needs Graduate Fellowship Competitive Grant No. 2008–38420‐04825 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The data on biological and early life risk come from a NIH‐funded study No. HD 29549, “Biosocial Influences on Postpartum Weight Retention.”