71 - Association of Food Insecurity with Parent and Child Mental Health

Poster Number: 71
Publication Number: 71.210

Gabriella Dean, Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States; Callie L. Brown, Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States; Mara Z. Vitolins, Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States; Joseph Skelton, Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States; Edward H. Ip, Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States; Caroline B. Lucas, Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States

Background: Household food insecurity (HFI) is associated with poor general health, depression, and anxiety. Most studies assessed parent and child mental health individually and did not assess other social drivers of health as covariates.

Objective: To assess the relationship between HFI and both parental and child mental health.

Design/Methods: English-speaking parents of healthy 3-5 year-old children completed validated measures of food insecurity, parent mental health (depression [Patient Health Questionnaire-9, range 0-27], anxiety [Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, range 0-21], and stress [Perceived Stress Scale, range 0-4]), child mental health (Pediatric Symptoms Checklist-17, range 0-34), and covariates. HFI was assessed using the 2-item Hunger Vital Sign; a positive response to either question is a positive screen. Social drivers of health, including domestic violence, smoke exposure, and harsh punishment, were assessed using items from the Safe Environment for Every Kid-Parent Questionnaire-R. Linear regression models were used for unadjusted analysis, using separate linear regression models for each mental health outcome (parent depression, parent anxiety, parent stress, and child mental health). Multivariate analysis was performed using stepwise hierarchical regression to adjust for relevant covariates, including demographics, social drivers of health, and the other parent or child mental health outcomes.

Results: Children (n=335) were racially and socioeconomically diverse with participants being 40% Black, 39% white, and 17% Hispanic; 55% of households made Conclusion(s): HFI was not associated with parental mental health outcomes when other social drivers of health were included in the analyses, however, HFI was significantly associated with worse childhood mental health in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Pediatric providers should screen for and develop interventions to specifically target both HFI and mental health problems.
CV - Gabriella DeanResume 12-20-21 PDF.pdf