Trends in Recurring and Chronic Food Insecurity Among US Families With Older Adults.

Importance: Food insecurity is a critical social determinant of health for older adults. Understanding national food insecurity trends among families with older adults has important policy implications. Objective: To compare food insecurity trends among US families with an older adult from 1999 to 2003 and 2015 to 2019 and further stratify the analysis by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status markers, and enrollment in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study using biennial data from the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics, balanced panels of families with at least 1 older adult (≥60 years) who participated from 1999 to 2003 (n = 1311) and 2015 to 2019 (n = 2268) were created. Analysis was completed in 2023. Main outcome: Food insecurity was assessed using the US Household Food Security Survey Module. Within each 5-year period, we defined recurring food insecurity as 2 or more episodes of food insecurity and chronic food insecurity as 3 episodes of food insecurity. Results: Overall, food insecurity among US families with older adults increased from 12.5% in 1999 to 2003 to 23.1% in 2015 to 2019. Rates of recurring food insecurity more than doubled (5.6% to 12.6%), whereas rates of chronic food insecurity more than tripled (2.0% to 6.3%). Across both time periods, higher rates of food insecurity persisted among Black and Hispanic families, with lower socioeconomic status, and participating in SNAP. Conclusions and Relevance: These results highlight how rates of recurring and chronic food insecurity among families with older adults rose substantially over the past 20 years. Monitoring national trends in food insecurity among older adults has direct programmatic and policy implications.

High Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Related Disparities Among US College and University Students From 2015-2019.

OBJECTIVE: We examined food insecurity prevalence among college students included as part of a large, ongoing, nationally representative survey and examined trends and associations with sociodemographic measures. METHODS: Data come from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative longitudinal household panel survey, and include 2,538 college students from 2015-2019. Food security status was assessed using the US Department of Agriculture's 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2019, 11% of college students experienced marginal food security, and 15% experienced food insecurity. Food insecurity was 12% in 2015 and 14% in 2017 and 2019. More Black and Hispanic students experienced food insecurity than White students (21% and 26%, vs 9%, respectively; P <0.001), as did first-generation than non-first-generation students (18% vs 10%; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: College food insecurity is an urgent public health issue demanding greater response from colleges and universities and state and federal governments.

Chronic Food Insecurity in US Families With Children.

This survey study uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to compare trends from 2015 to 2019 in food insecurity among households with children with trends from 1999 to 2003.

SNAP and WIC Participation During Childhood and Food Security in Adulthood, 1984-2019.

Objectives. To examine the effects of childhood participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on adult food security in the United States. Methods. We used data from the 1984 to 2019 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to follow a balanced panel of 1406 individuals from birth through ages 20 to 36 years. We measured food insecurity from 1999 to 2003 and 2015 to 2019 among those who resided in low-income households during childhood. Results. Twenty-eight percent of individuals who resided in low-income households during childhood exhibited improved food security status from childhood to adulthood. Those who participated in SNAP and WIC during childhood had 4.16-fold higher odds (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.91, 9.03) of being more food secure than those who were eligible for but did not receive SNAP or WIC, and those who participated in SNAP alone had 3.28-fold higher odds (95% CI = 1.56, 6.88). Conclusions. Participation in social safety net programs such as SNAP and WIC during childhood helps to improve food security across the life course. Our findings add evidence regarding the long-term benefits of participation in SNAP and WIC during childhood. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(10):1498-1506. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306967).

The effect of food insecurity during college on graduation and type of degree attained: evidence from a nationally representative longitudinal survey.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of food insecurity during college on graduation and degree attainment. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of longitudinal panel data. We measured food insecurity concurrent with college enrolment using the 18-question United States Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module. Educational attainment was measured in 2015-2017 via two questions about college completion and highest degree attained. Logistic and multinomial logit models adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics were estimated. SETTING: USA. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative, balanced panel of 1574 college students in the USA in 1999-2003 with follow-up through 2015-2017 from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. RESULTS: In 1999-2003, 14·5 % of college students were food-insecure and were more likely to be older, non-White and first-generation students. In adjusted models, food insecurity was associated with lower odds of college graduation (OR 0·57, 95 % CI: 0·37, 0·88, P = 0·01) and lower likelihood of obtaining a bachelor's degree (relative risk ratio (RRR) 0·57 95 % CI: 0·35, 0·92, P = 0·02) or graduate/professional degree (RRR 0·39, 95 % CI: 0·17, 0·86, P = 0·022). These associations were more pronounced among first-generation students. And 47·2 % of first-generation students who experienced food insecurity graduated from college; food-insecure first-generation students were less likely to graduate compared to first-generation students who were food-secure (47·2 % v. 59·3 %, P = 0·020) and non-first-generation students who were food-insecure (47·2 % v. 65·2 %, P = 0·037). CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity during college is a barrier to graduation and higher-degree attainment, particularly for first-generation students. Existing policies and programmes that help mitigate food insecurity should be expanded and more accessible to the college student population.

The Long-Term Effect of Food Insecurity During College on Future Food Insecurity.

INTRODUCTION: Food insecurity has been associated with adverse health and academic outcomes among college students. However, little is known about the long-term impacts of experiencing food insecurity during college. This study examines the impacts of college food insecurity (measured from 1999 to 2003) on future food insecurity (measured from 2015 to 2017) and whether this association differs by economic independence during college. METHODS: Data came from 1,508 participants in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the longest-running and nationally representative panel survey. Household food security was assessed using the 18-item U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module during college enrollment in 1999-2003 and again during adulthood in 2015-2017. Generalized linear models were used to examine the impacts of college food insecurity on food insecurity in adulthood, adjusting for individual- and family-level sociodemographic characteristics. Data analysis was conducted in 2020-2021. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, college food insecurity was associated with an increased prevalence of food insecurity in adulthood (prevalence ratio=1.45, 95% CI=1.16, 1.81). This association was more pronounced among students who were economically independent from their parents during college (prevalence ratio=2.23, 95% CI=1.27, 3.90). CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity during college is associated with a higher prevalence of food insecurity in early to middle adulthood, particularly among economically independent students. Given the seemingly cyclical nature of food insecurity over the life course, policies are needed to alleviate food insecurity during the critical college years.

The Longitudinal Revolution: Sociological research at the 50-year milestone of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.

The U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018. Initially designed to assess the nation's progress in combatting poverty, PSID's scope broadened quickly to a variety of topics and fields of inquiry. To date, sociologists are the second-most frequent users of PSID data after economists. Here, we describe the ways in which PSID's history reflects shifts in social science scholarship and funding priorities over half a century, take stock of the most important sociological breakthroughs it facilitated, in particular those relying on the longitudinal structure of the data, and critically assess the unique advantages and limitations of the PSID and surveys like it for today's sociological scholarship.

Food Agency in the United States: Associations with Cooking Behavior and Dietary Intake.

"Food agency" is one's ability to procure and prepare food within the contexts of one's social, physical, and economic environment. In 2018, we used Amazon TurkPrime to field two large national surveys in the United States (US) to examine food agency and several food- and cooking-related factors. The first survey (n = 1,457) was fielded in a national sample of US adults. The second survey (n = 1,399) comprised of parents of 2-9-year-old children. Analyses included hierarchical linear regression to examine factors that explained variation in food agency and used Poisson and generalized linear models to examine the association between food agency and between cooking behavior and dietary intake, respectively. Cooking skills; food skills; and cooking confidence, attitudes, and perceptions explained a high degree of food agency variance. Higher food agency was associated with more frequent cooking of all meals, more frequent scratch cooking, and less frequent cooking with packaged ingredients among both adults and parents. Higher food agency was also associated with higher consumption of vegetables among both adults and children. Food agency encompasses a number of the interrelated factors important for home cooking and is a useful construct for understanding and promoting home cooking behavior.

Childhood Food Involvement: Protection Against Food Insecurity in Young Adulthood.

INTRODUCTION: Food insecurity during young adulthood affects physical health, mental health, and academic performance. However, little is known about parental and behavioral factors during childhood that may contribute to risk of food insecurity during young adulthood. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics' Child Development Supplement (1997-2017). In 2018-2019, a balanced panel was constructed of individuals who were aged 0-12 years in 1997 (n=1,049) and were living independently as of 2015. Simple and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the effect of parental nutritional knowledge, childhood food preparation, and food shopping involvement on food insecurity in 2015-2017, adjusting for individual- and family-level factors. RESULTS: Children whose parents had medium (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.17, 0.93) or high (OR=0.38, 95% CI=0.19, 0.76) nutritional knowledge, compared with low nutritional knowledge, had lower odds of being food insecure when they reached young adulthood. In fully adjusted models, high levels of time spent preparing food during childhood were associated with lower odds of food insecurity in young adulthood (OR=0.47, 95% CI=0.26, 0.84) compared with individuals who spent no time in food preparation. Time spent food shopping during childhood did not predict food insecurity in young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Spending time in food preparation during childhood and high parental nutritional knowledge each have a protective effect against food insecurity during young adulthood. Greater investment in teaching cooking skills during childhood may be beneficial, particularly for individuals at high risk for food insecurity.