Household food insecurity and early childhood development: Systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Household food insecurity (HFI) is a powerful stressor negatively associated with early childhood development (ECD). However, no comprehensive review has examined the association of HFI and ECD. Therefore, this systematic review and meta‐analysis investigated the association between HFI and ECD domains and subdomains in children under 5 years old. Peer‐reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched in electronic databases with no year or language restrictions. Studies were eligible if they assessed the association between HFI and one or more ECD domains. Data were extracted using a standard predefined protocol. Meta‐analysis was performed, and the heterogeneity across studies was explored. Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review and 14 in the meta‐analysis. Of the studies, 15 were from high income countries (HICs) and four from low–middle income countries (LMICs). For developmental risk and the cognitive/math and cognitive/school readiness and reading subdomains, the only studies available were conducted in HICs. The meta‐analysis showed that HFI was associated with developmental risk (OR 1.28; 95% CI [1.14, 1.45]), cognitive/vocabulary (OR 0.94; 95% CI [0.90, 0.98]), and cognitive/math (OR 0.84; 95% CI [0.73, 0.96]). HFI was marginally associated with cognitive/school readiness and reading (OR 0.91; 95% CI [0.82, 1.00]) and motor development (OR; 0.91, 95% CI [0.80, 1.04]). HFI was associated with poor ECD in children under 5 years old. Specifically, HFI was associated with developmental risk and poor math skills in studies conducted in HICs and with poor vocabulary skills in studies conducted in both HICs and LMICs. Prospective studies examining HFI and ECD are needed in LMICs.

Food insecurity measurement and prevalence estimates during the COVID-19 pandemic in a repeated cross-sectional survey in Mexico

“…A US study conducted during the pandemic in a convenience sample found that households experiencing food insecurity were 2.09 and 1.88 times more likely to screen positive for anxiety and depression, respectively, than food secure households (16) . Food security in households with children requires particular attention (17) because it has been associated with developmental risk and, in low and middle-income countries, with lower vocabulary skills (18) . These child development delays can be mediated by depression or anxiety in caregivers (19) .…”

COVID‐19 and maternal and child food and nutrition insecurity: a complex syndemic

“…Global evidence shows that this direct increase in food insecurity would be a serious public health concern as household food insecurity (HFI) has been shown to negatively affect caregiver mental health and that this in turn has a negative impact on early child development outcomes (Pedroso, Buccini, Venancio, Pérez‐Escamilla, & Gubert, 2020; Pérez‐Escamilla & Vianna, 2012) as young children cannot receive the nurturing care that they need (Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development, 2020). HFI in early life has indeed been consistently associated with child internalization and externalization of problems, behavioural problems in school, and poor academic performance and intellectual outcomes once those children become school age (de Oliveira et al, 2020). HFI has also been associated with family chaos (Fiese, Gundersen, Koester, & Jones, 2016; Rosemond et al, 2019) and intimate partner violence (Diamond‐Smith, Conroy, Tsai, Nekkanti, & Weiser, 2019) and may be associated with suboptimal infant feeding practices, possibly related to perceived insufficient milk of food insecure women (Orr, Dachner, Frank, & Tarasuk, 2018; Webb‐Girard et al, 2012).…”

Maternal mental health modifies the association of food insecurity and early child development

“…The association of HFI and ECD delays has been observed in previous studies (Oliveira et al, 2020;Pérez-Escamilla & Vianna, 2012;Shankar, Chung, & Frank, 2017). Nevertheless, a recent comprehensive systematic review pointed out that only four studies were conducted in low-or middle-income countries (Oliveira et al, 2020).…”