Children’s Dietary Quality and Micronutrient Adequacy by Food Security in the Household and among Household Children

Abstract

Children’s food-security status has been described largely based on either the classification of food security in the household or among household children, but few studies have investigated the relationship between food security among household children and overall dietary quality. Our goal was to examine children’s dietary quality and micronutrient adequacy by food-security classification for the household and among household children. Data from 5540 children (2–17 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014 were analyzed. Food-security status was assessed using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and categorized into high, marginal, low, and very low food security for the households and among household children. Dietary quality and micronutrient adequacy were characterized by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 and Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR; based on total nutrient intakes from diet and dietary supplements), respectively. The HEI 2015 scores did not substantially vary by either food-security classification, but the MAR was greater in high compared to very low food security in households and among household children; a linear relationship was found only among household children. In general, very good agreement was observed between the classifications, but the strength of agreement differed by children’s age, race/Hispanic origin, and family income. In conclusion, micronutrient adequacy, but not dietary quality, significantly differed by food-security status. While the agreement between food security in the household and among household children is very good, classification of food security among household children may be more sensitive to detecting differences in exposure to nutrients.

Child-Report of Food Insecurity Is Associated with Diet Quality in Children

“…Previous research in studies of children and adolescents have found no association between food insecurity and dietary quality [12,13,14]. Differences from previous studies of children may be attributed to using child report or controlling for a different set of confounding variables that may affect this relationship [34].…”

“…Of the three studies that included measures of overall diet quality to examine the association with child food insecurity, results were split between adverse associations and no associations [9,10,11]. More recently, three studies reported no association between dietary quality and child food insecurity [12,13,14]. A limitation of nearly all previously mentioned studies examining the relationship between food insecurity and dietary quality is the use of parent-reported household food insecurity [3].…”

What Do Polish Parents and Caregivers Think of Dietary Supplements for Children Aged 3–12?

“…Providing optimal quantities of macro- and micro-elements is possible when following the principles of good nutrition. However, one can observe the growing importance of dietary supplements in the day-to-day diet of children as well as adults [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. FDA defines dietary supplements as products (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet which bear or contain one or more of the dietary ingredients [ 4 ].…”

Food Security and Diet Quality in Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino Infants 3 to 12 Months of Age

“…Rossen L.M et al similarly reported that food insecurity was largely not associated with dietary intake in a representative sample of 5136 US children aged 2–15 years from NHANES [ 26 ]. Likewise, Shinyoung J. et al did not find a substantial difference in diet quality by household food security or food security among a sample of 5540 children from NHANES 2011–2014 [ 27 ]. Other research from a representative sample of New Zealand infants found that food-secure infants had a more diverse diet compared to those who were food insecure [ 3 ].…”

“…Infants defined as food insecure by the adapted index applied in this study may be employing coping mechanisms such as participation in food assistant programs such as WIC and SNAP. Furthermore, the nutrition of these infants may be prioritized by their caregiver, providing protection against the lack of food resources in the household, as seen in other studies [ 27 ].…”