Skip to main content

Food Insecurity and Eating Pathology in Adolescents.

Author
Abstract
:

Adolescence is a critical period for the emergence of eating disorders, and food insecurity may be related to eating pathology and weight, as evidenced in adults. However, little is known about food insecurity and eating pathology during this developmental period, and associations between food insecurity and body mass index (BMI) are mixed. Therefore, we examined associations between food insecurity and BMI percentile, self-reported eating-related pathology and binge eating, and subgroup differences by race/ethnicity. In a subset, we examined the relationship between food insecurity and real-world hunger, food craving, and loss-of-control eating using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Fifty-eight adolescents at two sites (clinical sample, = 38, BMI percentile ≥ 70th; community sample, = 20, all BMI strata) completed self-report questionnaires. Adolescents were 15.2 ± 2.1 years old, 62% female, 50% Black, 34.5% Hispanic, with BMI percentile = 80.5 ± 25.8 (range 4-99). In the full sample, food insecurity was associated with greater BMI ( < 0.01), higher shape/weight overvaluation ( = 0.04), and greater number of binge eating episodes among those reporting at least one binge episode ( 0.01), with significant relationships for BMI percentile, shape/weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction, and binge episode frequency among Hispanic adolescents only (each < 0.01). As in adults, food insecurity may be a risk factor for eating pathology, particularly for Hispanic teens.

Year of Publication
:
2021
Journal
:
International journal of environmental research and public health
Volume
:
18
Issue
:
17
Date Published
:
2021
ISSN Number
:
1661-7827
URL
:
https://www.mdpi.com/resolver?pii=ijerph18179155
DOI
:
10.3390/ijerph18179155
Short Title
:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Download citation