Food Insecurity Is Highly Prevalent and Predicts Underweight but Not Overweight in Adults and School Children from Bogotá, Colombia , ,3

Abstract

The aims of this study were to determine the sociodemographic and dietary correlates of household and child food insecurity in Bogotá, Colombia and to examine whether food insecurity is a risk factor for underweight or overweight in this population. We analyzed data from 2359 families with 2526 children 5-12 y of age who completed a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2006. The survey was representative of low- and middle-income families who had children enrolled in the public primary school system of Bogotá. We used a 16-item food insecurity scale, modified from the United States Household Food Security Survey Module, assessed children's dietary intake with a FFQ, and measured their height and weight. Mothers' anthropometry was obtained through self-report. We estimated adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% CI from binomial regression models. Household food insecurity with hunger and child food insecurity were each positively associated with maternal age, parity, and single parent status and inversely related to mean household income and number of home assets. Animal protein and snack food intake were inversely related to child food insecurity. In multivariate analyses, food-insecure children were 3 times more likely to be underweight than food-secure children (95% CI = 1.6, 5.4; P = 0.0007). Hunger in the household was significantly associated with maternal underweight. Food insecurity was not related to child stunting, child overweight, or maternal overweight. The prevalence of food insecurity in Bogotá is high and related to poverty. Food insecurity does not necessarily predict overweight in countries undergoing the nutrition transition.

Household food security status and associated factors among high-school students in Esfahan, Iran

“…Confirming those of other studies (7,13,22,(30)(31)(32)(33) , the results of the present study showed that food insecurity is negatively associated with household economic status indicators. The findings of a study on Iranian households also showed that food insecurity was inversely related to household economic status (size of home), in urban areas, but not in rural areas (14) .…”

Food insecurity and nutritional status of individuals in a socially vulnerable situation in Brazil

“…It is important to note that the mean BMI was within the normal weight range, while the fat percentages related to the classification "below average" (but not malnutrition), unlike several studies that have indicated an association between FI and malnutrition 16,17 . Thus, the present study demonstrated that there is a greater chance that male CC users in Brazil who are in a situation of severe food insecurity will present lower weight and fat percentages than those in a situation of food security.…”

“…Some studies have shown a relationship between food insecurity and anthropometric and nutritional indicators for overweight and obesity [13][14][15] , while other studies have presented data showing significant associations between food insecurity and malnutrition and nutrient deficiency 16,17 .…”

Hemoglobin concentration is inversely associated with erythrocyte folate concentrations in Colombian school-age children, especially among children with low vitamin B12 status

“…Details of the study designed have been reported earlier (Isanaka et al, 2007). In brief, we selected a representative sample of 3202 primary school children of age 5-12 years from 3032 households, using a cluster sampling strategy in which all primary school grades 1-5 of all 361 public schools in the city were included.…”