title: Food Hardship and Obesity in a Sample of Low-Income Immigrants.
abstract: Very little work has examined the relationship between food hardship (having inconsistent financial resources to buy food) and obesity among immigrant groups. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a low-income, multi-racial/ethnic adult sample in greater Boston, MA (n = 828). Modified Poisson regression models estimated the association between food hardship obesity (BMI ≥ 30) among adults reporting food hardship; interactions were tested by place of birth. Body mass index (BMI) was based on anthropometric height and weight. In adjusted models, those experiencing food hardship were more likely to be obese (RR 1.17, CI 1.07, 1.29) than those not experiencing food hardship. Participants from Haiti reporting food hardship were more likely to be obese than those not reporting hardship (RR 1.58, CI 1.23, 2.04); this was not the case among other groups (US born, Puerto Rican, Latin American, Other). The relationship between food hardship and weight may vary among immigrant subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Program in Health Disparities Research, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA. cecaspi@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Caitlin E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Caspi
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA, 02215, USA.|Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington St., Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Reginald D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Tucker-Seeley
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington St., Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adamkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington St., Boston, MA, 02215, USA.|Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Dr., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Christina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Roberto
authors.affiliation: New England Research Institute, 9 Galen St., Watertown, MA, 02472, USA.
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA, 02215, USA.|Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington St., Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Glorian C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Sorensen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Food insecurity; Hardship; Immigrant; Obesity