Household food insecurity is associated with abdominal but not general obesity among Iranian children

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood obesity is increasing all over the world. Food insecurity is mentioned as a possible risk factor; however, previous studies have led to inconsistent results in different societies while data are lacking for the Middle East. We aimed to investigate the relationship between food insecurity and general or abdominal obesity in Iranian children in a cross-sectional study.MethodsAnthropometric data including height, weight, and waist circumference were measured by trained nutritionists. General and abdominal obesity were defined based on world health organization (WHO) and Iranian reference curves for age and gender, respectively. Radimer/Cornell food security questionnaire was filled by parents. Data about the physical activity of participants, family socio-economic status, parental obesity and data about perinatal period were also gathered using self-administered questionnaires. Logistic regression was incorporated to investigate the association between food insecurity and obesity in crude and multi-variable adjusted models.ResultsA total of 587 children aged 9.30 ± 1.49 years had complete data for analysis. Food insecurity at household level was significantly associated with abdominal obesity (odds ratio (OR) = 1.54; confidence interval (CI):1.01–2.34, p <0.05) and the relationship remained significant after adjusting for all potential confounding variables (OR = 2.02; CI:1.01–4.03, p <0.05). Food insecurity was associated with general obesity neither in crude analysis and multi-variable adjusted models.ConclusionsThe slight levels of food insecurity might increase the likelihood of abdominal obesity in Iranian children and macroeconomic policies to improve the food security are necessary. Large-scale prospective studies, particularly in the Middle East, are highly recommended to confirm our results.

Relationship Between Household Food Insecurity and Growth Disorders in Children Aged 3 to 6 in Qazvin City, Iran

“…The study revealed that the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale is a valid tool for examining children's development in different geographical regions [ 26 ]. There has been evidence suggesting that obesity and overweight, which is considered a growing public health threat, particularly in low-income populations, is associated with food insecurity [ 27 28 29 30 ]. This association is sometimes in the form of obesity and overweight combined with stunting [ 31 ].…”

The relationship between food insecurity and risk of overweight or obesity in under 18 years individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A total of 32 articles met the inclusion criteria to be included in the meta-analysis. [ 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 ] In these 32 articles, 26 used a cross-sectional setting,[ 20 21 22 27 29 30 31 32 33 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 43 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 ] whereas the other 6 were longitudinal studies. [ 25 26 28 34 37 49 ] The OR of 139.762 participants was analyzed among these articles for the present study.…”

“…[ 25 26 28 34 37 49 ] The OR of 139.762 participants was analyzed among these articles for the present study. These articles were published during 2001 and 2019, and performed in the Canada,[ 22 25 27 ] United States,[ 20 21 26 28 29 30 32 34 36 37 38 39 40 42 49 50 52 55 56 57 58 ] Jamaica[ 27 ] Brazil,[ 41 48 ] Mexico,[ 26 31 51 ] Colombia,[ 35 ] Iran[ 43 54 ] and Taiwan. [ 53 ] Table 1 showed the feature of the articles included.…”

“…Also, recent studies on the association between FI and risk of obesity in children has led to different outcomes; some previous researches have shown an relationship between FI and the risk of OW/OB in under 18 years individuals[ 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ]; others, have suggested that no relationship exists. [ 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 ] Moreover, recent studies is evaluating more factors such as abdominal obesity, which may more accurately explain the association between FI and childhood OW/OB risk. [ 20 43 ]…”

“…[ 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 ] Moreover, recent studies is evaluating more factors such as abdominal obesity, which may more accurately explain the association between FI and childhood OW/OB risk. [ 20 43 ]…”