Poster #38 - Food Insecurity and Early Behavior Problems: Examining Influence in the Context of Timing and Persistence

• In Event: Poster Session 09

Abstract

Introduction: Food insecurity (FI), or the limited/inconsistent availability of nutritious food, is a public health problem affecting 2 in 5 households with children (Thomas, 2019). Mounting evidence indicates FI is associated with increased behavior problems, with effects as early as kindergarten (Shankar et al., 2017). Less is known about how FI affects children in the early developmental period (ages 0-3), particularly as parents may be better able to shield their young children from the direct effects of household FI (Johnson, 2018). Further, little research exists to date longitudinally examining the impact of transient vs persistent food insecurity in early childhood (Shankar et al., 2017). This study examined whether/how experiences of transient or persistent FI differentially impact children’s development of behavior problems. We hypothesized that FI would be associated with more behavior problems compared to children who never experienced FI, and children who had experienced persistent FI would be most impacted.

Methods: Participants (N=683) came from a nationally representative sample of families in Early Head Start (Baby FACES; Vogel & Boller, 2015). FI, sociodemographic covariates, and behavior problems (BITSEA; Briggs-Gowan & Carter, 2006) were measured via caregiver interviews at ages 1 and 3. ANCOVAs were used to identify whether there were differential impacts on behavior problems by persistence of FI, while controlling for sociodemographic risk and early behavior problems. Pairwise comparisons were run for significant findings. Longitudinal weighting and multiple imputation were used to account for attrition.

Results: Children from families who experienced persistent FI had significantly more behavior problems than any other group. Children from families who experienced late FI or early FI were not significantly different from each other but did evidence significantly more behavior problems than children from families who had never experienced FI (Table 1). Figure 1 demonstrates the trajectory of behavior problems by group. ANOVAS examined whether there were differences at each time point between groups. At age 1, all four groups were significantly different from each other (F(5304)=58.698, p<.001), however, by age 3, the late and early groups were no longer significantly different from each other.

Discussion: Meaningful differences were found in how the persistence/timing of FI is differentially associated with behavior problems over time. While children who experienced early FI at age 1 initially had significantly more behavior problems than the children who experienced late FI, the groups were not significantly different by age 3. Additionally, both the persistent presence and the late onset of FI were associated with more significant increases in behavior problems over time, suggesting that, without remediation of FI, children in this situation will experience a worsening of symptoms. In contrast, when families stopped experiencing FI, behavior problems plateaued. Even if a child is shielded from the direct impact of food insecurity, indirect factors, such as the impact on familial stress and parenting behaviors, may influence behavior problems over time. More research is needed to understand potential mediators, and points of intervention, between household FI and behavior problems in early childhood.

Authors

• Monica Sofia Trevino, University of Missouri - Saint Louis
  Presenting Author

• Kathryn E Cherry, University of Missouri, St. Louis

• Wanjiku Njoroge, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

• Emily D. Gerstein, University of Missouri-St. Louis