title: Food Insecurity and Its Association With Central Obesity and Other Markers of Metabolic Syndrome Among Persons Aged 12 to 18 Years in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Food insecurity is a preventable health threat and may precipitate central obesity and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents in the United States.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine (1) health by household food security status; and (2) differences and prevalence of central obesity among persons aged 12 to 18 years in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was administered to a cross-sectional sample of persons aged 12 to 18 years in 1999 to 2006. Controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and sex differences in mean obesity and chronic disease factors across levels of food insecurity (analysis of covariance [Bonferroni post hoc] and ORs [logistic regression analyses]) were examined, as were differences in the rates of risk factors (χ(2) statistics).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 7435 participants were analyzed. Those from marginally food secure (n=751) and low-food secure (n=1206) (population size estimate, 26,714,182) households were significantly more likely than their high-food secure counterparts (n=4831) to be overweight (P=.036) (OR, 1.44), and those from marginally food secure households were 1.3-times more likely to be obese (P=.036). Nearly 25% of respondents from marginally food secure, low-food secure, and very low-food secure (n=647) households reported central obesity (P=.002), which was 1.4 to 1.5 times more likely than those from high-food secure households. Participants from high-food secure households had significantly higher mean high-density lipoprotein values (P=.019). Risk factors indicative of metabolic syndrome were present in 3.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Household food insecurity was associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight and having central obesity. Limitations included the use of cross-sectional data and some self-reported data and the inability to control for all moderating variables in obesity and overall health status.
authors: David H
authors: DH
authors: Holben
authors: Christopher A
authors: CA
authors: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology