title: Household food insecurity and dietary intake among Mexican-American women participating in federal food assistance programs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association between food insecurity and dietary intake among Mexican-American women after controlling for sociocultural and economic factors including participation in federal food assistance programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three cities in Texas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred seven Mexican-American women (26-44 years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographics, anthropometrics, acculturation, and food security status were obtained using validated measures. Dietary intake was assessed by a 24-hour dietary food record.
  
  
  METHODS
  Logistic regression was used to examine the association between individual and household characteristics on food security status. One-way analysis of covariance tested the association between food security status and dietary intake after adjusting for socio-demographic variables, acculturation, body mass index, participation in federal food assistance programs, and energy intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 77% of food-insecure women participated in at least one federal food assistance program. Each additional child in the household increased the odds of being food insecure by 25%. A higher proportion of obese women was found in the food-insecure group. No significant differences in dietary intake were found by food security status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Food insecurity did not negatively influence dietary intake independently of women's participation in federal food assistance programs. Food security did not ensure consumption of nutritionally adequate foods. Educational and food assistance programs need to be optimized to facilitate enrollment and improve the nutritional status of this ethnic group, food secure or not.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hilmers
authors.forename: Tzu-An
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Karen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Cullen
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D017058:Mexican Americans; D013781:Texas; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Food Insecurity, Mexican-American Women, Dietary Intake, Federal Food Assistance Programs, Prevention Research. Manuscript format: research; Health focus: nutrition; Outcome measure: behavioral; Research purpose: relationship testing; Setting: local community; Strategy: incentives; Study design: nonexperimental; Target population age: adults; Target population circumstances: education/income level, geographic location, race/ethnicity