THE ROLE OF BASELINE HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY IN PREDICTING CHANGES IN ADIPOSITY AND THE MEDIATING EFFECTS OF DIETARY QUALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

Candidate

Ashley V. FentonFollow

Examination Date

Spring 4-7-2025

Degree

Dissertation

Degree Program

Community Health Science

Examination Committee

Stephanie T Broyles, Amanda E. Staiano, Michael Celestin, Tekeda Ferguson, Candice A. Myers, Tung-Sung Tseng

Abstract

Background: While household food insecurity has been consistently associated with higher levels of adult obesity, whether there is a similar relationship among adolescents is less clear. Dietary quality and mental health are known to influence obesity development, and evidence also supports their being impacted by food insecurity. This dissertation explored the connections between household food insecurity, dietary quality, mental health, and changes in adiposity among 342 adolescents aged 10 to 16.

Methods: The Translational Investigation of Growth and Everyday Routines in Kids (TIGER Kids) study provided questionnaire, anthropometric, and body imaging (DXA, MRI imaging) data collected at two time points (baseline and two-year follow-up). Baseline household food security was measured using a validated two-question parent-reported survey. Adiposity outcomes included percentage of the 95th percentile, waist circumference, total body fat, and abdominal visceral adipose tissue. Changes in dietary quality were assessed using HEI-2015 measures based on participants’ responses to the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Recall (ASA24TM). Resilience, depression, and quality of life were measured using validated scales. Age and sex were examined as moderators in certain analyses.

Results: Overall, we identified a strong positive link between food insecurity and changes in all measures of adiposity. Furthermore, we found that household food insecurity was associated with changes in dietary quality, though the effects differed between older and younger age groups. Food insecurity was negatively associated with changes in resilience and quality of life and positively associated with depression. However, evidence for mediating effects was minimal (mental health) or absent (dietary quality).

Conclusions: The impact of food insecurity increased changes in adolescent adiposity over two years. Future research should examine these longitudinal relationships with larger sample sizes and diverse adolescent populations to explore these and other potential mediators, including stress-related hormonal changes.

Recommended Citation

Fenton, Ashley V., "THE ROLE OF BASELINE HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY IN PREDICTING CHANGES IN ADIPOSITY AND THE MEDIATING EFFECTS OF DIETARY QUALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH" (2025). School of Public Health. 7.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/etd_sph/7