Children’s nutritional health and wellbeing in food insecure households in Europe: A qualitative meta-ethnography

Abstract

Since the 2008 global financial crisis, there has been a rise in the number of people experiencing food insecurity. Particularly vulnerable are households with children. This systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative studies focuses on families’ perceptions of food insecurity and how it affects children’s nutritional health and wellbeing. Six electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL and ASSIA), were searched for studies from European high-income countries between January 2008—July 2021, and supplemented by searches of grey literature databases, relevant websites, examination of reference lists and citation searches. We adhered to PRISMA and eMERGe guidelines to improve the completeness and clarity of meta-ethnographic reporting. Methodological quality of the studies were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist. We identified 11,596 records; we included 19 publications involving 813 participants in total. Data were synthesised according to Noblit & Hare’s seven phases of meta-ethnography. We identified four key themes—food and eating practices, awareness, fragility, and networks of care–comprising five sub-themes. Our meta-ethnography provides a progressive ‘storyline’ of the children’s experiences of food insecurity from both caregivers and children’s perspectives. We found that children are aware of their family’s limited resources and are often active in trying to help their families cope, and that food insecurity adversely impacts children’s physical, psychological, and social experiences. Our analysis highlights gaps in knowledge about how food insecurity impacts children’s nutritional health and wellbeing. It suggests that future research should prioritise minoritised ethnic communities, children living in temporary accommodation and caregivers of very young children.

Nourishing the Mind: How Food Security Influences Mental Wellbeing

“…In the study by Godrich et al in 2019, food-insecure children exhibited lower self-esteem and a reduced ability to make healthy choices compared to those from food-secure households, notably impacting girls more than boys [ 56 ]. In a recent study by Bell et al in 2023, food insecurity negatively impacted children’s overall wellbeing, influencing their understanding of limited resources and their role in supporting their families [ 57 ]. When interventions and policies reduce food insecurity in adolescents and children, there is an increase in positive childhood experiences (PCEs), as shown in the study by Zhang et al in 2023, wherein mild and moderate/severe food insecurity was associated with lower rates of positive child experiences across different age groups [ 58 ].…”