Early Life Exposure to Food Insecurity is Associated with Changes in BMI During Childhood Among Latinos from CHAMACOS

Early life exposures have been associated with obesity later in life. We aim to assess the association between early life exposure to food insecurity and change in BMI throughout childhood and adolescents. Food security status and growth variables from 243 Mother–child dyads from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas study were assessed 7 times over a 12-year period. Generalized log linear models with Poisson distributions and linear regression models were implemented to assess the associations between early life food insecurity and obesity and growth. Early life food insecurity was associated with a 0.43 (0.01, 0.82) kg/m2 decrease in BMI from age 2 to 3.5, and a 0.92 kg/m2 (0.38, 1.46) increase in BMI among boys from ages 3.5 to 5, after adjusting for covariates. Sex and age modify the association between early life exposure to food insecurity and BMI.