Associations between Household- and Child-Referenced Food Security Status and Dietary Intake among Low-Income Urban Black Children

ABSTRACT

We examined whether dietary intake differs across household and child food security (FS) status, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation among Black children (ages 9–15) in a low-income urban setting. This cross-sectional survey used the USDA 18-item Household Food Security Survey, which includes the 8-item Child Module, and a validated FFQ to assess children’s diet (n = 451). Nutrient intake differed across child FS status, but not household FS. SNAP participation was associated with better micronutrient intake (vitamin D and calcium) among food secure children. Assessing child-specific FS and nutrient adequacy clarifies children’s actual experience and informs child-targeted policies.

KEYWORDS:

• Food insecurity
• black
• child
• diet
• food assistance
• micronutrients

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the families interviewed and the following students, staff, and volunteers who assisted in the project data collection.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, ACBT, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

Research supported in this publication by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (OD) under Grant Number U54HD070725 to the Global Obesity Prevention Center (GOPC) at Johns Hopkins.