Background: Past research shows a correlation between household food insecurity and chronic medical conditions such as diabetes in the general U.S. population as well as metabolic syndrome-related cardiometabolic markers in Hispanic/Latino youth. Furthermore, minority status, including Hispanic/Latino identity, shows an association with low food security and diabetes. The Hunger Vital Sign (HVS) is a validated screener designed to assess risk of food insecurity within households. This study analyzes associated factors related to the screener’s 2 questions, specifically targeting PreK 4-year-old children and their household relatives. The first question assesses concern about food running out before obtaining more due to financial constraints, while the second question evaluates instances when food did not last and there was insufficient money to purchase more.
Methods: The participating preschools were primarily Hispanic/Latino and nested within schools and school districts. Data were collected through household questionnaires. The frequency of food insecurity (FI) risk was measured as an ordinal variable (never, sometimes, often) and dichotomized (never vs sometimes + often). Agreement between questions was assessed using the kappa coefficient. Mixed models were employed to predict the risk of children’s BMI and the risk of relatives developing chronic disease, adjusting for age and sex.
Results: The study included 828 families, with 74% reporting never experiencing food insecurity, 22% sometimes, and 4% often. The agreement between the 2 survey questions was substantial (kappa 0.80, p \u3c 0.001). Probability of FI decreased as income level and education level of parents increased. No significant associations were found between FI and children’s age, BMI, height, or the ratio of children to adults in the household. However, a positive screen using the HVS correlated with hypertension and/or diabetes in the family.
Conclusion: The HVS screens for food insecurity risk and is associated with health issues in adults rather than children\u27s body weight or height. Responses to the survey’s 2 questions can provide insights into the overall health status of a household, emphasizing the intricate relationship between food insecurity, malnutrition, and various health outcomes. The presented results support planning and resource allocation strategies to reduce food insecurity in the Hispanic/Latino population
