Obesity and Food Insecurity

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Obesity and Food Insecurity

• Christine M. Olson, Professor
• March 7, 2006

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Framework for the Evidence
Food Insecurity Poor Nutrition
Obesity (Energy Imbalance E in E out)
Poverty
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Association of Poverty and Obesity
Food Insecurity Poor Nutrition
Obesity (Energy Imbalance E in E out)
Poverty

• Being poor is significantly and consistently
  associated with higher body weight (obesity) in
  women and somewhat associated in adolescent girls
  and not found in men and children.

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Food Insecurity Associated with Obesity
Food Insecurity

Obesity (Energy Imbalance E in E out)
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Food Insecurity Associated with Obesity

• The majority (6 of 7) of studies on the topic
  found food insecure women more likely to be
  overweight or obese
• This relationship not found in men and children

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Diet and Weight Characteristics of Sample by Food
Insecurity Group, Means and Proportion Obese
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Odds of Overweight
From Townsend et al. J. Nutr. 1311738, 2001.
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Mechanisms for Food Insecurity- Obesity Link

• Feast-famine eating patterns among women in food
  insecure families

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Usually what I do is I eat what they the
children havent ate . . . A lot of time I just
skip. If I cant eat for the day, Ill try to
get toast or something in me.
Min
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Mechanisms for Food Insecurity- Obesity Link

• Feast-famine eating patterns among women in food
  insecure families
• Women go without so children can eat
• Food insecure women have binge-like eating
  patterns
• Deprivation leads to overeating when food becomes
  available

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Mechanisms for Food Insecurity- Obesity Link

• Consumption of fewer servings of fruits and
  vegetables
• In CSFII, NHANES III and our study, food insecure
  women consume fewer servings of fruits and
  vegetables.
• Drewnowski and Specter point out that
  energy-dense foods cost less per calorie than
  fruits and vegetables.

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Distribution of Nutrient and Fruit-Vegetable
Intake for Secure and Insecure Respondents
From J Am Diet Assoc 961019, 1996
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Mechanisms for Food Insecurity- Obesity Link

• Greater consumption of high fat, high sugar foods
  not a likely explanation
• 1994-96 CSFII Basiotis found
• No difference in tsp added sugar
• No difference in gm discretionary fat
• No difference in Healthy Eating Index
• 1994-96 CSFII Townsend found
• No association with kcal fat or sat. fat

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Implications for nutrition education

• Food and nutrition education can decrease risk of
  food insecurity
• Food and financial management life skills related
  to decreased food insecurity Fam Econ Nutr Rev
  1612, 2004.
• Graduation from EFNEP, compared to participating
  but not graduating, was significantly protective
  (p .0002) against food insecurity Fam Cons Sci
  Res J 32(2) 127, 2003.

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Food security was associated with these life
skills

• Manage your bills (p 0.004)
• Make a family budget (p 0.002)
• Stretch groceries to the end of the month (p
  0.02)
• But not with prepare a well-balanced meal (p
  0.40)
• From Fam Econ Nutr Rev 1612, 2004

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Food Security Status by Knowledge of How to
Stretch Groceries
Chi-sq 9.9 df 3 p lt0.02
From Fam Econ Nutr Rev 1612, 2004
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Implications for intervention

• Education aimed at individuals is necessary but
  not sufficient
• Need environmental approaches
• Aimed at availability and access to healthy foods
  (particularly fruits and vegetables) in
  disadvantaged neighborhoods
• Aimed at opportunities for physical activity