Youth with food insecurity more likely to be exposed to violence
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Key takeaways:
- Food-insecure Black and Indigenous youth were significantly more likely to experience violence vs. white youth.
- Experts highlighted strategies like increased food security screenings and food assistance programs.
Children with low food security were over five times more likely to experience violence vs. food-secure children, according to a study published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.
As Healio previously reported, an increasing number of families are facing food insecurity, which has also been associated with greater health expenditures and racial disparities.
“Given the potential for lifelong adverse effects from experiencing adverse childhood events involving violence and food insecurity, investigating the relationship between the two, in addition to disparities among age, race/ethnicity and urbanicity of the child, may aid in developing mitigation strategies,” Molly Bloom, BS, a student from the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation, and colleagues suggested.
In the study, the researchers assessed data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, a survey that was completed by caregivers with at least one child aged 0 to 17 years between 2016 and 2021.
The overall sample size was 216,799 youth, representative of more than 83 million children and adolescents.
Among those in the cohort, 69.1% experienced high food security, 25.47% experienced marginal food security, 5.42% experienced low food security and 7.4% experienced or witnessed violence.
Bloom and colleagues found that the odds of exposure to violence were 5.19 (95% CI, 4.48-6.02) and 2.3 (95% CI, 2.1-2.53) times greater for children and adolescents with low food security and marginal food security, respectively, compared with food-secure youth.
The chances of being exposed to violence rose as children aged, with adolescents aged 15 to 17 years having the highest odds (adjusted OR = 4.34; 95% CI, 3.73-5.04). Additionally, youth in nonmetropolitan areas were more likely to experience violence vs. those in metropolitan areas (aOR = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.15-1.4).
The researchers also found that food-insecure Black and Indigenous youth were 6.81 (95% CI, 5.24-8.86) and 7.8 (95% CI, 3.18-19.13) times more likely to experience or witness violence, respectively, compared with food-secure white youth.
“Due to the associated stigma and fear of child welfare involvement, parents will often underreport the extent of food insecurity that they experience. For this reason, it is common for parents to attempt to shield their child from experiencing food insecurity, either by eating less so the child can eat more or by pretending not to be hungry,” the researchers explained. “These actions may increase the stress on the parent, which in turn increases the risk of exposure to violence, including child abuse.”
Bloom and colleagues highlighted several strategies to address food insecurity and violence, such as implementing culturally competent initiatives, food assistance programs — particularly the expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment —increased food insecurity screenings and nutritional education to patients.
The research had some limitations, they said. For example, the data used were not independently verified, whereas food insecurity and violence rates were likely underestimated as a result of the researchers excluding children who were homeless or in group homes.
Ultimately, “by developing and adapting strategies to improve food security, it is possible to indirectly reduce the rates of childhood exposure to violence,” Bloom and colleagues concluded.
Perspective
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This study found that children with low food security were more than five times as likely to experience or witness violence compared with food-secure children. Health care professionals may use this information to make informed decisions about screening for both food security and violence in families with children. In addition, health care professionals need to be aware of signs and symptoms of child maltreatment because violence is frequently underreported. Health care experts should target potential causes of the association between food insecurity and violence, such as income below the federal poverty threshold, chronic stress, mental health issues and disability. Early identification of both is essential to help mitigate the harmful effects of these adverse childhood experiences. With climate change and the continued growth of the world population, food scarcity and food insecurity will remain key issues. Thus, the implications of food insecurity, like exposure to violence, will need to be addressed through policy and practice. These findings confirm prior work in the field that documents higher levels of food insecurity with an increased likelihood of witnessing violence or experiencing caregiver-to-child physical and psychological aggression.
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