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Food insecurity is associated with higher added sugar and sugar-sweetened beverage intake among low-income elementary aged children (P04-059-19)
This 2019 study explored the relationship between the type of foods low-income children (7-12 year olds) eat and their food insecurity. The data used was from TX Sprouts, which is an intervention focused on enhancing cooking, gardening, and nutrition knowledge in 16 central Texas schools. A questionnaire was filled out by the children to assess their food security (adapted version of the Child Food Security Assessment). Based on these results, four groups were identified: High Food Security (HFS), Marginal Food Security (MFS), Low Food Security (LFS), and Very Low Food Security (VLFS). Food security appeared to predict the level of added sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages consumed by the subjects. For instance, kids with either low or very low food security were found to eat more added sugar than those with high food security. Interestingly, the marginally food secure and very low food security groups consumed a higher number of sugar-sweetened drinks than the high food security group. These results indicate that the self-reported food insecurity among children (between 7 and 12 years of age) was associated with higher added sugar and sugar-sweetened beverage intake. [NPID: low-income, food insecurity, nutrition knowledge, sugar-sweetened beverages]
Year: 2019
