Food Insecurity and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: Does Federal Nutrition Assistance Act as a Buffer?

Examining ADHD and Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Relation to Food Insecurity in Early Adolescents

Approximately 13.8 million U.S. households face food insecurity, which severely affects child development, with more than half of these households including children. Research links food insecurity to cognitive deficits and mental health challenges, highlighting the need for thorough understanding and intervention. Although existing studies have explored the association between food insecurity and internalizing symptomatology, less research has examined food insecurity in relation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Further, no studies have explored the connection between food insecurity and cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) symptoms, closely related to ADHD symptoms. Despite extant research linking CDS to environmental factors, empirical attention to its potential association with food insecurity is notably lacking. Additionally, adolescents, almost twice as likely as younger children to experience household food insecurity, are likely more aware and respond differently to challenges during this developmental period. Accordingly, this study investigated the unique associations of parent-, teacher-, and youth self-reported ADHD dimensions and CDS symptoms in relation to parent-reported food insecurity in early adolescents (N = 136, ages 10-12). Controlling for age, sex, race, and medication use, no informant's ratings of ADHD symptom dimensions were uniquely related to food insecurity. In contrast, higher parent-, teacher-, and youth self-reported CDS symptoms were uniquely associated with greater food insecurity. This finding was robust to additional control of family income for teacher- and youth self-reported CDS symptoms. These findings highlight the complex link between food insecurity and mental health, suggest a connection with CDS symptoms, and stress the need to address food insecurity as a public health priority, especially in early adolescence.

Child meal support program, food and nutrition insecurity, and health among Korean children

BACKGROUND

Korea's child meal support program (CMSP) aims to reduce food and nutrition insecurity (FNI) and improve health among children from low-income households.

AIM

We examined the impact of different types of CMSP on children's FNI and health in Korea, analyzing meal frequency and healthful food consumption (FNI), and general health and depression (health) among child meal card (CMC) and facility meal service (FMS) participants compared with nonparticipants.

METHODS

The 2018 Comprehensive Survey on Korean Children data were analyzed. Precisely, 847 children from low-income households aged 9-17 were categorized into CMC (n = 331), FMS (n = 209), and income-eligible nonparticipants (n = 307). Propensity score-weighted generalized linear models assessed CMSP's impact on FNI and health. Stratified generalized linear models examined heterogeneity in FNI-health associations by CMSP status.

RESULTS

CMC participants reported more frequent breakfast consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 0.662, p < 0.05) but poorer self-rated general health (OR = 1.890, p < 0.05); FMS participants were less likely to have three meals (OR = 1.814, p < 0.05), fruits and vegetables (OR = 2.194, p < 0.001), and protein-rich foods daily (OR = 1.695, p < 0.05) than nonparticipants. Health risks associated with healthful food consumption and meal frequency were more pronounced among CMC and FMS/nonparticipants, respectively.

CONCLUSION

CMSP had a limited impact on reducing FNI and improving health among children from low-income households. CMC appeared more effective than FMS in alleviating FNI, notwithstanding potential health concerns. Food assistance programs should seek comprehensive enhancements in children's food and nutrition security and health.

Investigating the Poverty-Reducing Effects of SNAP on Non-nutritional Family Outcomes: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE

Poverty-reduction efforts that seek to support households with children and enable healthy family functioning are vital to produce positive economic, health, developmental, and upward mobility outcomes. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an effective poverty-reduction policy for individuals and families. This study investigated the non-nutritional effects that families experience when receiving SNAP benefits.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review using the PRISMA Guidelines and strategic search terms across seven databases from 01 January 2008 to 01 February 2023 (n=2456). Data extraction involved two researchers performing title-abstract reviews. Full-text articles were assessed for eligibility (n=103). Forty articles were included for data retrieval.

RESULTS

SNAP positively impacts family health across the five categories of the Family Stress Model (Healthcare utilization for children and parents, Familial allocation of resources, Impact on child development and behavior, Mental health, and Abuse or neglect).

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

SNAP is a highly effective program with growing evidence that it positively impacts family health and alleviates poverty. Four priority policy actions are discussed to overcome the unintentional barriers for SNAP: distributing benefits more than once a month; increasing SNAP benefits for recipients; softening the abrupt end of benefits when wages increase; and coordinating SNAP eligibility and enrollment with other programs.

Food Insecurity Predicts Magnitude of Early BMI Change in a Pediatric Weight Management Intervention

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of food insecurity among children with overweight/obesity presenting for weight management treatment and examine whether food insecurity predicts early change in body mass index (BMI), expressed as a percentage of the 95th percentile (%BMIp95).

METHOD

Children (N = 69; ages 3-18 years) presenting to a hospital-based pediatric weight management intervention and 1 parent/guardian per child (N = 69) were included. At the first appointment, parents/guardians completed the US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-item Short Form and a demographics questionnaire. Height and weight of the children were measured at the first and third appointments to calculate %BMIp95.

RESULTS

Among participating families, 29.0% reported experiencing food insecurity. Controlling for the ratio of income to poverty, 11.4% of the variance in %BMIp95 change from the first to third appointments was accounted for by food insecurity, ▵F (1, 66) = 8.46, p = 0.01. Children with greater food insecurity demonstrated a smaller magnitude of %BMIp95 decrease, representing a small-to-medium effect size within the context of the regression model (f2 = 0.13).

CONCLUSION

A high proportion of families with children receiving weight management treatment reported experiencing food insecurity in comparison with US households with children. There may be unique characteristics of food insecurity, as opposed to household income alone, that explain the smaller magnitude of BMI decrease observed early in treatment. Future research should explore complex associations among food insecurity, income, BMI, and race over time.