摘要：Objectives. We assessed current levels of food insecurity among a large, diverse sample of parents and examined associations between food insecurity and parental weight status, eating patterns, and the home food environment. Methods. Project F-EAT (Families and Eating and Activity Among Teens) examined the home food environments of adolescents. Parents and caregivers (n = 2095) living with adolescents from the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota school districts completed mailed surveys during a 12-month period in 2009–2010. We performed our assessments using multivariate regressions. Results. Almost 39% of the parents and caregivers experienced household food insecurity, whereas 13% experienced very low food security. Food insecurity was significantly associated with poorer nutrition-related variables such as higher rates of parental overweight and obesity, less healthy foods served at meals, and higher rates of binge eating. Food-insecure parents were 2 to 4 times more likely to report barriers to accessing fruits and vegetables. Conclusions. Food insecurity was highly prevalent. Environmental interventions are needed to protect vulnerable families against food insecurity and to improve access to affordable, healthy foods. The United States is experiencing the most severe economic collapse since the Great Depression. 1,2 By historical standards, unemployment levels remain extremely high 3 ; low-income families, who have been disproportionately burdened by the recession, are struggling to make ends meet. 4,5 This financial struggle often results in increased levels of food insecurity—the lack of consistent access to healthy, affordable food. 1 Current national estimates suggest 16% of US adults and 25% of US children are food insecure. 1,6 Common household responses to having inadequate resources for food include food budget adjustments, reduced food intake, and alterations in types of food purchased. Nutrient-dense foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats) are significantly more expensive per calorie than are energy-dense foods (e.g., soft drinks, salty and sugary snacks, and pastries). 7,8 Thus, studies have shown that in households experiencing food insecurity, food variety tends to decrease and the consumption of energy-dense foods tends to increase. 9 A study in Minnesota found that food-insecure youths were more likely to eat fast food and less likely to consume breakfast and family meals than were food-secure youths. 10 Poor dietary intake resulting from household food insecurity has been associated with numerous health problems, such as higher rates of diabetes, stress and depression, and hospitalization. 11–15 Although the literature is inconsistent, 16 food-insecure households, particularly those headed by single mothers, have been found to have higher rates of overweight and obesity. 17–19 The concurrent prevalence of obesity and food insecurity is often referred to as the hunger–obesity paradox. 20,21 Households with children are more likely to be food insecure than are households without children. 19,22 Studies have shown that parents, especially mothers, tend to restrict their own intake so enough food will be available for their children. 23,24 Additionally, communities of color and immigrant communities experience significantly higher rates of food insecurity compared with the national average. 25–27 Given the shifts in the economic well-being of the United States, we assessed the current prevalence of food insecurity across sociodemographic characteristics among parents in a large, ethnically diverse population in Minnesota. To better describe implications of current food insecurity among parents, we also examined associations between food insecurity and parental weight status and eating patterns as well as measures of the home food environment.
