Household income and loss of control eating in adolescence: Examining the role of food insecurity

Loss of control (LOC) eating is prevalent among adolescents and has been related to significant mental and physical health concerns. A growing body of research suggests that youth from lower income households are at risk for LOC eating. Food insecurity is an understudied contextual factor that may c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Appetite 2021-10, Vol.165, p.105291-105291, Article 105291
Main Authors: West, Caroline E., Darling, Katherine E., Ruzicka, Elizabeth B., Sato, Amy F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Food insecurity
Household income
Loss of control eating
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Summary:Loss of control (LOC) eating is prevalent among adolescents and has been related to significant mental and physical health concerns. A growing body of research suggests that youth from lower income households are at risk for LOC eating. Food insecurity is an understudied contextual factor that may compound the risk for LOC eating in adolescents from low-income backgrounds. The present study sought to: 1) clarify the association between food insecurity and LOC eating among adolescents; and 2) examine whether household food insecurity moderated the association between income-to-needs and LOC eating. As part of a laboratory-based study, adolescents ages 12–17 (N = 60; 33% from low-income households; 53.3% female) completed the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire to measure LOC eating. Parents reported the household food insecurity status and household income, used to calculate income-to-needs ratio. Higher household food insecurity was positively associated with adolescent LOC eating (b = 0.662, t(59) = 5.09, p 
ISSN:0195-6663
1095-8304
DOI:10.1016/j.appet.2021.105291