Child Food Insecurity Is Associated with Energy Intake among Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Girls.

Food insecurity is associated with poor diet and obesity among adult women, but evidence among children is mixed, and few studies have examined differences between boys and girls. This study examined the relationship between self-reported food insecurity and dietary intake among boys and girls. Cross-sectional survey data were used from the Children's PowerPlay! Campaign evaluation. In all, 3,547 fourth- and fifth-grade students (9 to 11 years old) from 44 San Diego-area elementary schools in 2012 completed diary-assisted 24-hour recalls and a questionnaire that included five questions from the Child Food Security Assessment. Individual dietary components (including total energy, nutrients, and sugar-sweetened beverages), Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores, and meal patterns (such as meal sizes and missed meals) were derived from 24-hour recalls. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationships between food insecurity and diet characteristics. Girls with the highest food insecurity consumed 135 total kilocalories (P <0.005) and 60 snack kilocalories (P <0.05) more per day than girls with no food insecurity. These relationships were absent among boys. Food insecurity among girls in grades 4 and 5 was associated with higher energy intake. Findings support the need for further research to better understand the nature of this relationship and its implications for energy balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]