News Summary

• New research from U of M School of Public Health researchers has found food insecurity – the lack of consistent access to healthy, affordable food – to be highly prevalent in Twin Cities households.
• Data came from the study, Project F-EAT (Families and Eating and Activity in Teens), a population-based study of parents of adolescents aimed at learning more about food, physical activity, and home food environments.
• The highest rates of food insecurity were found in women, Asian Americans (primarily Hmong) and other non-white racial groups, and single parents. Parents who reported lower incomes and education levels were also more likely to be food insecure. 

Quotes

• “This study is extremely important because it shows that parents in the Twin Cities are struggling with food insecurity at much higher rates than state and national averages. We found food insecure parents had poorer nutrition-related outcomes such as increased rates for obesity, binge eating and poorer access to a variety and quality fruits and vegetables. They also consumed almost an additional serving of sugar-sweetened beverages each day.” - Meg Bruening, lead author of the study and a nutrition PhD student and research assistant at the University of Minnesota’s Division of Epidemiology and Community Health.
• “This paper adds evidence that Minnesota and the United States need to maintain and build a stronger safety net for families struggling with poverty and food insecurity. More is needed to be done to protect vulnerable families so that everyone has access to affordable, healthy foods, which may result in improved nutrition-related outcomes.” - Bruening

Full Text

New research published online today in the American Journal of Public Health found food insecurity – the lack of consistent access to healthy, affordable food – to be highly prevalent in Twin Cities households. Food insecure parents reported poorer eating habits, such as skipping breakfast and less access to fruits and vegetables.

Data came from the study, Project F-EAT (Families and Eating and Activity in Teens), a population-based study of parents of adolescents aimed at learning more about food, physical activity, and home food environments. Dr. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer and other University of Minnesota School of Public Health researchers collected survey data from 2,095 parents and caregivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts over a 12 month period.

Study results revealed 39 percent of the parents and caregivers surveyed experienced food insecurity, which was tied to a number of problematic measures, such as higher rates of obesity among parents and caregivers, fewer healthy foods served at meals and a higher rate of binge eating. Researchers also found that just over 13 percent of study participants reported very low food security.

“This study is extremely important because it shows that parents in the Twin Cities are struggling with food insecurity at much higher rates than state and national averages, said Meg Bruening, lead author of the study and a nutrition PhD student and research assistant at the University of Minnesota’s Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. “We found food insecure parents had poorer nutrition-related outcomes such as increased rates for obesity, binge eating and poorer access to a variety and quality fruits and vegetables. They also consumed almost an additional serving of sugar-sweetened beverages each day.”

The highest rates of food insecurity were found in women, Asian Americans (primarily Hmong) and other non-white racial groups, and single parents. Parents who reported lower incomes and education levels were also more likely to be food insecure.

To arrive at their results, researchers surveyed parents and caregivers on several measures to determine how often certain behaviors occurred over a 12 month period. These measures included:

• Food Insecurity – Parents and caregivers were classified as food secure or insecure depending on the number of responses to questions concerning financial ability to provide adequate, balanced and healthy meals.
• Sociodemographics – Survey participants were asked to report their age, gender, ethnicity, education and participation in public assistance.
• Weight status – Participants reported their height and weight to determine their body mass index (BMI).
• Eating Patterns – To measure household eating patterns, participants reported on how often they ate breakfast, consumed fast food, sugar-sweetened beverages and fruits and vegetables, and the frequency of binge eating.
• Home Food Environment – To measure the food environment within the home, parents and caregivers reported on how often the family ate meals together, how much time was spent preparing meals and the types of food served. They were also asked questions that assessed participant perception of fruit and vegetable access, addressing cost, variety and quality of produce.

“This paper adds evidence that Minnesota and the United States need to maintain and build a stronger safety net for families struggling with poverty and food insecurity,” said Bruening. “More is needed to be done to protect vulnerable families so that everyone has access to affordable, healthy foods, which may result in improved nutrition-related outcomes.”