Abstract
BackgroundLiving in a food-insecure or food insufficient household may increase risk for binge eating and obesity. Because racial disparities in food access, obesity, and access to treatment for disordered eating exist, it is important to examine these relationships in Black populations.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of data from the National Survey of American Life (N = 4553), a nationally-representative sample of Black Americans, including African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Logistic regression was used to explore the association of food insufficiency with obesity and binge eating.ResultsIn the total sample of Black Americans, the prevalence of food insufficiency was 10.9% (95% CI 10.0–11.8%). Food insufficiency was not significantly associated with obesity in Black Americans, but when associations were explored in analyses stratified by ethnicity and sex, food insufficiency significantly predicted an increased odds of obesity in Afro-Caribbeans (odds ratio [OR] = 1.47, 95% CI 1.01, 2.13). Individuals experiencing food insufficiency were more likely to report recurrent binge eating in the last 12 months (3% v 2%, P = 0.02) and a lifetime history of binge eating (6% v 3%, P = 0.004) compared to those who were food sufficient. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, food insufficiency was not significantly associated with recurrent binge eating in Black Americans or in sex- and ethnicity-stratified analyses.ConclusionThe present study reveals a more complex relation between food insufficiency and binge eating than previously thought—although an association existed, it was attenuated by an array of sociodemographic factors. Our results also underscore the importance of considering ethnicity as different patterns emerged between African American and Afro-Caribbean participants.
Highlights
IntroductionThe majority of U.S households report having access to enough food to meet their physical needs (e.g., residing in a food secure-home), approximately 37 million Americans live in a food-insecure household [1]
The majority of U.S households report having access to enough food to meet their physical needs, approximately 37 million Americans live in a food-insecure household [1]
Because we know very little about this relationship in Black Americans, we conducted a research study to examine the rates of food insufficiency, binge eating, and obesity in a sample of African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans
Summary
The majority of U.S households report having access to enough food to meet their physical needs (e.g., residing in a food secure-home), approximately 37 million Americans live in a food-insecure household [1]. Food insecurity is defined as not having, or being unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of household members due to insufficient money or other resources for food [1]. A related construct is food insufficiency, a simpler measure of whether or not there was enough food to eat in a household. Considerable overlap exists between the two measures; individuals who suffer from food insufficiency often have the most extreme levels of food insecurity [2, 3]. Living in a food-insecure or food insufficient household may increase risk for binge eating and obesity. Because racial disparities in food access, obesity, and access to treatment for disordered eating exist, it is important to examine these relationships in Black populations
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