Association of household food insecurity with diet quality in a nationally representative sample of United States toddlers: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Although previous research has shown that food insecurity adversely affects diet quality in adults, this relationship is less consistently observed in children. However, studies in children have focused on those aged 2 y or older and the association of food insecurity with diet quality in children aged 12-23 mo is unclear.

Objectives: The objective was to determine the association of household food insecurity with diet quality, as indicated by Healthy Eating Index-Toddlers-2020 (HEI-Toddlers-2020), in United States children aged 12-23 mo.

Food insecurity and use of electronic vapor products among high school students.

Studies have shown that food insecurity is associated with electronic vapor products (EVP) use in adults; however, an understanding of this relationship in adolescents is needed to inform prevention efforts in this age group. Aim: Examine the relationship of food insecurity with EVP use patterns, frequency and source of acquisition in high school students. This cross-sectional study used Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) 2019 data from states that incorporated the YRBS' optional food insecurity question.

Association of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation duration with cost-related medication non-adherence and emergency department visits.

Objective: Administrative requirements could disrupt sustained Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation among income-eligible individuals. To meet their food needs, low-income individuals without consistent SNAP benefits may compromise on medication use, posing a risk to their health. The objective of this study is to examine the association of SNAP participation duration in a given year with cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) and emergency department (ED) use in income-eligible individuals.

Consumption Trends and Eating Context of Lentils and Dried Peas in the United States: A Nationally Representative Study.

Background: Incorporation of lentils and dried peas could form the basis of a nutrient-rich diet; yet, they are among the least-consumed legumes in the United States (US). The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of lentils/dried peas consumption in the US over time and across socio-demographic groups, as well as to examine the eating context of these foods.

Methods: Analyses included adults (aged 18 years or older) and children (aged 3-17 years) participating in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 through 2017-2018.

Association of emergency allotment discontinuation with household food insufficiency in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants: A quasi-experimental study.

Objective: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was modified to mitigate food insecurity faced by low-income families during the pandemic. These changes included enhancement of SNAP benefits via 2020 emergency allotments (EA). Despite the high food price inflation in 2022, 17 states ceased providing EA benefits by end of 2022.

WIC Participation and Coping Strategies Adopted by Families During the Infant Formula Shortage Crisis.

Background: Availability of benefits and expanded flexibilities to obtain formula, granted by the US Department of Agriculture shortly after the onset of infant formula shortage in February 2022, could have mitigated adverse experiences related to the shortage in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) families.

Objective: To examine association of household WIC participation with formula shortage experiences and coping strategies adopted by families using Household Pulse Survey data.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Association of Food Insecurity Status with Resolution of Mental Health Conditions in Children and Adolescents.

Objective: Adverse consequences related to unresolved mental health issues underscore the importance of identifying factors that impede resolution of mental health conditions. Although studies have identified food insecurity as a risk factor for the diagnosis of mental health conditions, its impact on unresolved mental health issues is not understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of food insecurity status with resolution of depression, anxiety, and behavioral/conduct problems in children and adolescents.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children food package revisions and anemia in children aged 2-5 years.

Background: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutritional assistance to low-income women and children in the United States. The WIC food package was revised to align more closely to dietary recommendations in October 2009. The revised package included more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat milk.

Food Security Status, WIC Participation, and Early Childhood Caries in a Nationally Representative Sample of Children.

Background: Despite the potential role of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in mitigating the adverse effects of food insecurity on oral health, to our knowledge, no study has examined whether WIC participation could modify the association between food insecurity with caries in young children.

Objective: Our aim was to investigate the impact of WIC participation in modifying the association between food insecurity and early childhood caries.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Low diet quality is associated with adverse levels of metabolic health markers and clustering of risk factors in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Nutritional recommendations for diabetes management emphasise an overall, healthful diet consistent with the guidelines for the general population. The present study assessed the relationship of diet quality, as measured by Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), with metabolic health markers and risk factor clustering in type 2 diabetes patients using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016 data.

Methods: HEI-2015 diet quality scores were calculated using 24-h dietary recalls.

The association of motivation and perceived social norms with eating behaviors in emerging adults.

Objective: This study examines the associations of eating-related motivation, perceived norms, and their interaction with eating behaviors in emerging adults.

Design: Data are from the NEXT Generation Health Study, a nationally representative sample of US emerging adults. Binominal logistic regression analyses estimated associations of eating behaviors with self-determined motivation, non-self-determined motivation, and perceived social norms.

Birth weight and prediabetes in a nationally representative sample of US adolescents.

Prediabetes affects about 20% of adolescents in the United States. Previous studies have shown that low and high birth weight impairs glucose homeostasis in adults; however, limited research has examined this relationship in adolescents. To investigate association of birthweight with prediabetes in US adolescents using data from NHANES 2005-2016 and examine whether sex and obesity moderate this relationship.

Impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefit Reduction or Loss on Food-at-Home Acquisitions and Community Food Program Use.

Since Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are vital for food-at-home (FAH) acquisitions among participating families, changes in participation or benefit amounts may impact FAH purchase and use of community-based food programs (CFP). The association of the loss of or a reduction in SNAP benefits with FAH acquisitions and CFP use was assessed using 2012-2013 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey data. Households with incomes equal to or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level were categorized as (1) current SNAP households, (2) households with benefit loss in the preceding year, or (3) households with benefit loss for more than a year.

Mediation of the Relationship of Acculturation With Glycemic Control in Asian Americans With Diabetes.

Purpose: To assess the role of physical activity and healthcare access in mediating the association of acculturation with cardiometabolic health in Asian American adults with diabetes.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018.

Associations of infant appetitive traits during milk feeding stage with age at introduction to solids and sweet food/beverage intake.

Background: Suboptimal feeding behaviors during infancy, such as introducing solids prior to 4 months and providing foods containing added sugars, are associated with increased risk of later obesity. Although focus group studies suggest that infant appetitive traits during milk feeding stage may influence complementary feeding practices, quantitative evidence on this relationship is lacking.

Methods: This study included women who were followed from first trimester to 1-year postpartum.

Household food insecurity and in-utero and early life smoke exposure: Data from NHANES 2003-2016.

In-utero, postnatal, and childhood smoke exposure are associated with adverse health consequences, and examining factors related to smoke exposure during these vulnerable periods are critical to inform efforts that promote maternal and child health. This study included pregnant and postpartum women aged 20-44 years and children aged 3-12 years from National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2016 cycles. Logistic regression examined association of household food insecurity with firsthand (FHS) and secondhand (SHS) exposure among pregnant and postpartum women, and SHS exposure among children, based on serum cotinine and respondent-reports.

Associations Between Diet Quality and Dental Caries in Low-Income Women.

Background: The Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) is a diet quality measure of conformity of diet to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This tool is being used increasingly to assess relationships between diet quality and health outcomes.

Objective: The objective of this research was to investigate the relationships between diet quality as measured by HEI-2015 total and component scores and Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth Index (DMFT) scores in low-income women.

Association of loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits with food insecurity and dietary intake of adults and children.

Background: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) disenrollment among income-eligible households could limit their ability to access food.

Objectives: To assess the association of loss of SNAP benefits on food security status and dietary intake of household members, using 2011-2016 NHANES data.

Methods: SNAP participation status among those with a household income ≤130% of the federal poverty level was categorized as 1) current participants, 2) former participants with benefits cut off in the past year, and 3) former participants with benefits cut off for more than a year.

Stronger State School Nutrition Laws Are Associated With Healthier Eating Behaviors and Optimal Weight Status in US Adolescents.

Purpose: To investigate relationships of farm-to-school, school meal, and competitive food state laws with eating behaviors and weight status and to examine interaction between different types of state laws.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Settings: US adolescents.

Do food expenditure patterns of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households meet Thrifty Food Plan recommendations?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increases the food purchasing power of its clients by distribution of monthly benefits. The goal of this study was to determine if food expenditure patterns of SNAP households meet the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) recommendations. Results indicated that greater TFP-adjusted total grocery expenditure was significantly associated with greater spending on low fat dairy, vegetables, whole grains and fruits relative to the recommendations.

Hyperglycemia and Carotenoid Intake Are Associated with Serum Carotenoids in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes.

Background: Serum carotenoids are commonly used as biomarkers of fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake in the general population. Although hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress, it is unknown whether this pathway is associated with lower serum carotenoid concentrations in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Consequently, the utility of serum carotenoids as markers of F/V intake in individuals with type 1 diabetes is unclear.

Differential reporting of fruit and vegetable intake among youth in a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral nutrition intervention.

Background: Nutrition interventions typically rely on self-reported intake that may be susceptible to differential reporting bias due to exposure to the intervention. Such differences may result from increased social desirability, increased attention to eating or improved recall accuracy, and may bias estimates of the intervention effect. This study investigated differential reporting bias of fruit and vegetable intake in youth with type 1 diabetes participating in a randomized controlled trial targeting increased whole plant food intake.

Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Association with Dietary Intake in a Longitudinal Study of Youth with Type 1 Diabetes.

Despite cardioprotective effects of a healthy diet in the general population, few studies have investigated this relationship in individuals with type 1 diabetes, who are at elevated risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to hyperglycemia. The objective of this study was to examine the association of CVD biomarkers with overall diet quality, as measured by the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), and its dietary components in youth with type 1 diabetes. Youth with type 1 diabetes ( = 136, 8⁻16.

Association of Grocery Expenditure Relative to Thrifty Food Plan Cost with Diet Quality of Women Participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Background: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest food assistance program in the United States. Allotment of SNAP benefits is based on the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is designed to achieve a nutritious diet at a minimal cost. Although low-income households do not meet the TFP cost for total groceries, the impact on diet quality is not known.