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Description
Food insecurity affects more than 10 million households in the United States and has been shown to impact what and how a child is fed. Additionally, there is some evidence to suggest that food insecurity may affect how an infant is soothed (either with food or another mechanism), but no study has examined the possible relationship between soothing techniques and the incidence of food insecurity. To evaluate whether food security status and nighttime soothing techniques have a relationship, surveys were administered to a sample of mothers from various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds at 3-weeks, 8-weeks, and 3-months postpartum. Of the 69 participants sampled, 61 had data that could contribute to evaluations of food security status and soothing techniques used at night. A chi-square model was utilized to determine what, if any, relationship existed between the two variables. The chi-square model did not yield statistically significant results (Pearson Chi-Square= .506, p=.477) and descriptive statistics showed that just six of the 61 participants sampled did not use food to soothe at the time their baby was 3-weeks-old. Further examination of descriptive statistics revealed that, between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding as a means to soothe an infant, breastfeeding was used twice as much as bottle-feeding. For participants enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, Children (WIC), the use of food to soothe increased at each of the three time points. Among participants found to be food-insecure, the use of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding as means to soothe varied from time point to time point. The physical and mental toll of the postpartum period may contribute to the high use of food-to-soothe among mothers seen in this study. Future research efforts in this area should examine whether the observations reported in this study are similar among larger samples, and if more mental health support for mothers has any effect on whether food is used to soothe.
ContributorsKoelbel, Megan (Author) / Whisner, Corrie (Thesis advisor) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Bruening, Meg (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Food insecurity and childhood obesity are both major public health concerns in the United States of America. Research has not found a definite relationship between childhood obesity and food insecurity to date, with conflicting results being found due to differences in sample sizes and protocol for measuring key variables. Preschoolers (children aged 2-5 years) are a population of particular interest as there tends to be improved health behaviors and greater adaptability to change at this period of growth and development. This study aims to evaluate if there is a relationship between food insecurity and childhood obesity with diet quality as a mediator among preschoolers in the Phoenix area. A secondary data analysis from participants (n=154) from the SAGE (Sustainability via Active Garden Education) research project was used to evaluate food insecurity status, diet quality components (kcal, saturated fat, added sugars, and servings of juice, fruits, and vegetables), and anthropometrics (waist circumference and BMI percentile). No significant associations between food insecurity status, diet quality components, and anthropometric data were found. There was an increased rate of food insecurity and childhood overweight/obesity in this sample compared to state and national averages. Further research of high quality is necessary to determine whether a relationship exists between childhood obesity and food insecurity exists and in what context. Additionally, practice and policy will need to be implemented to decrease rates of food insecurity and childhood obesity among Phoenix preschoolers.
ContributorsGutierrez, Marisa (Author) / Bruening, Meg (Thesis advisor) / Whisner, Corrie (Committee member) / Lee, Rebecca E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020