Food insecurity and perceived anxiety among adolescents: An analysis of data from the 2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

ABSTRACT

Adolescents living in food insecure households are vulnerable to negative mental health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the association between household food insecurity and perceived anxiety among U.S. adolescents aged 12–17. Data for 935 U.S. adolescents were obtained from the 2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Household food security was assessed using the Household Food Security Survey Module. Perceived anxiety was measured using one item that asked the adolescent to report the number of days he or she felt anxious or worried in the past month. Logistic regression tested the association between food insecurity and perceived anxiety, adjusting for potential confounders. Living in a food insecure household, being female, and increasing age were significantly positively associated with high perceived anxiety. In a stratified model, the association between food insecurity and perceived anxiety persisted among females but not males. Interventions that address the underlying causes of food insecurity are critical to promote the long-term well-being of adolescents.

KEYWORDS:

• Food insecurity
• adolescents
• perceived anxiety
• NHANES

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mahmood Gohari for his advice on statistical analysis and interpretation.

Funding

Sharon Kirkpatrick is funded by a Capacity Development Award from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (702855).

Additional information

Funding

Sharon Kirkpatrick is funded by a Capacity Development Award from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (702855).