The Association between Household Food Insecurity and Body Mass Index: A Prospective Growth Curve Analysis

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between food insecurity and body mass index (BMI) from early adolescence to adulthood.

Study design: Growth curve analyses were performed. Sex differences were examined by conducting the analyses separately by sex. Ten data points were examined over a 16-year period from age 15 to 31 years. Data were obtained from the Family Transitions Project, a longitudinal study of 559 adolescents and their families that was initiated in 1989 in the Midwest. Primarily rural, non-Hispanic whites were selected based on the economic farm crisis. We examined participants from adolescence to adulthood from 1991 through 2007. Measures included a 2-item food insecurity construct and BMI as indicated by self-reported height and weight from adolescence through middle adulthood. These associations were analyzed using prospective growth curve modeling.

Results: Our analyses indicated a general increase in BMI with age, whereas food insecurity declined over time. Higher levels of food insecurity at age 15 years led to a more rapid increase in BMI. Finally, a positive relationship was found between the changes in food insecurity and BMI over time. These associations held only for females.

Conclusion: Our results argue for increasing access to food during key developmental periods such as early adolescence, which could help reduce the long-term implications for health, particularly BMI in girls.

Keywords: adolescence; economics; gender; obesity; rural.