Eating school breakfast and school lunch every day by US schoolchildren was associated with modestly healthier dietary intakes. These findings suggest potential nutritional benefits of regularly consuming school meals.
Training on a number of topics is needed to achieve full implementation of the new CACFP standards to ensure that young children in child care have access to healthier meals and snacks.
Background
Limited research exists on the relationship between food insecurity and children's adiposity and diet and how it varies by demographic characteristics in the United States.
Objective
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between household food insecurity and child adiposity-related outcomes, measured as BMI (kg/m2) z score (BMI-z), weight status, and waist circumference, and diet outcomes, and examined if the associations differ by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
Methods
Data collected in 2013–2015 from 5138 US schoolchildren ages 4–15 y from 130 communities in the cross-sectional Healthy Communities Study were analyzed. Household food insecurity was self-reported using a validated 2-item screener. Dietary intake was assessed using the 26-item National Cancer Institute's Dietary Screener Questionnaire, and dietary behaviors were assessed using a household survey. Data were analyzed using multilevel statistical models, including tests for interaction by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
Results
Children from food-insecure households had higher BMI-z (β: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.21), waist circumference (β: 0.91 cm; 95% CI: 0.18, 1.63), odds of being overweight or obese (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.34), consumed more sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages (β: 1.44 g/d; 95% CI: 0.35, 2.54), and less frequently ate breakfast (β: −0.28 d/wk; 95% CI: −0.39, −0.17) and dinner with family (β: −0.22 d/wk; 95% CI: −0.37, −0.06) compared to children from food-secure households. When examined by age groups (4–9 and 10–15 y), significant relationships were observed only for older children. There were no significant interactions by sex or race/ethnicity.
Conclusions
Household food insecurity was associated with higher child adiposity-related outcomes and several nutrition behaviors, particularly among older children, 10–15 y old.
Online delivery of education can be an acceptable addition for WIC participants with online access. High-quality online education platforms represent an important avenue to promote continued satisfaction with nutrition education.
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