Food- and Health-Related Correlates of Self-Reported Body Mass Index Among Low-Income Mothers of Young Children

Abstract

Objective Examine how income-related challenges around food and health are associated with variation in self-reported maternal body weight among low-income mothers. Design Cross-sectional, correlational design. Convenience sample recruited from 7 daycare centers and a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach project. Maternal self-report data collected between October 2009 and May 2011. Setting Two Northeastern cities. Participants Sample of 166 mothers; 67% overweight or obese, 55% Hispanic, 42% reporting household food insecurity (HFI). Main Outcome Measures Maternal self-reported height and weight to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Independent variables: food program participation, supermarket use, 8-item food shopping practices scale, HFI, maternal depressive symptoms, self-rated health (SRH). Analysis Hierarchical multiple regression analysis tested relationships between maternal BMI with the independent variables of interest, adjusting for demographic confounds. Results Shopping practices to stretch food dollars (P = .04), using community food assistance programs (P < .05), and HFI (P < .04) correlated with heavier maternal BMIs; higher SRH corresponded to lower BMIs (P =.004). Conclusions and Implications Some strategies low-income mothers use to manage food resources are associated with heavier BMIs. Nutrition educators, public health practitioners, and researchers need to collaboratively address the associations between these strategies, food insecurity, poor health, and unhealthy weight.

Food Insecurity and Mental Health among Females in High-Income Countries

“…The characteristics of the 39 articles are outlined in Appendix A . Over half ( n = 23) were published from 2010 on [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. The majority ( n = 34) analyzed data from studies conducted in the United States, three focused on studies conducted in Canada [ 16 , 17 , 32 ], one was focused on a sample in New Zealand [ 43 ], and one was conducted in England [ 44 ].…”

“…The majority of cross-sectional analyses examining depression and food insecurity (or food insufficiency) reported some form of association deemed to be significant [ 16 , 28 , 29 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 54 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 63 , 64 , 68 , 69 , 85 ]. Several longitudinal analyses likewise observed relationships between depression and food insecurity, with food insecurity increasing the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms or a depression diagnosis [ 44 , 53 , 62 ], or changes in food insecurity associated with changes in depression [ 62 ].…”

“…Adherence to checklists such as STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) [ 97 ] could help promote transparency and accurate interpretation. Many authors noted limitations of self-reported data on mental health outcomes and food insecurity [ 16 , 17 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 40 , 44 , 55 , 62 ]. Some also noted temporal incongruence between measures of food insecurity and indicators of mental health [ 25 , 39 , 41 ] that may have affected their findings.…”

“…Women living with very low food security (53%) were more likely to have experienced life-changing violence in childhood compared to those with low food security (33%) and food secure (33%) mothers. McCurdy et al 2015 [ 29 ] Low-income mothers (mean age, 30.1 years) and children recruited from 7 preschools in low-income urban neighborhoods in the US, included Hispanic and non-Hispanic races/ethnicities Cross-sectional (166) To determine correlates of weight, including food security, among low-income, ethnically diverse mothers and examine role of mental health USDA HFSSM CES-D 20-item Authors note high internal consistency for the measure and note acceptable internal reliability in this sample Depressive symptoms Not applicable Bivariate analyses: Mothers living in food-insecure households had more depressive symptoms compared to food-secure mothers (t = 2.26, p < 0.02). Sun et al 2016 [ 30 ] Mothers (mean age, 24 years) of young children (aged < 4 years), US, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, other races/ethnicities, recruited from Philadelphia hospitals.…”

Relationship between Self-Rated Health and Lifestyle and Food Habits in Japanese High School Students

“…Thus, families, and especially mothers, must cooperate with their children’s preferences regarding home meals. Mothers with higher SRH have a lower BMI [ 35 ]. Furthermore, the SRH in mothers is associated with their mothers’health.…”