(P24-097-23) Children’s Perceived Social Support and Its Impact on Household Food Insecurity and Obesity Risk Over Time in an Under-Resourced Baltimore, Maryland Community

Objectives: Food insecurity is prevalent among under-resourced urban minority households across the US and plays a role in childhood obesity risk partly due to associated stress. Previous research suggests that social support may help reduce stress and obesity risk among food insecure children. We sought to investigate these relationships by (1) characterizing transitory and chronic food insecurity status in low-income households with children, and (2) exploring the effect modification of children’s perceived social support on food insecurity and children’s BMI-for-age, across two timepoints.

Methods: Data were collected as part of the B'more Healthy Communities for Kids (BHCK) trial, which took place in Baltimore, MD in two waves: (1) June 2014-February 2015 and (2) November 2015-July 2016. The 18-item USDA Food Security Screener determined household food insecurity level, and the Social Support Scale for Food and Physical Activity Habits assessed children's perceived social support for healthy behaviors. The social support score was calculated by summing affirmatory responses to seven questions. Cross-sectional multivariable logistic regression and longitudinal analyses were conducted using R software.

Results: Among this sample (N=398), 26.4% of households experienced very low or low food security at both time points (chronic food insecurity),and 25.1% of households experienced very low or low food security at only one time point (transitory food insecurity). Initial analyses revealed no significant association between perceived social support and household food insecurity at both timepoints (OR=0.90, 1.02; 95%CI:0.70-1.17, 0.82-1.27). Perceived social support was positively correlated with children’s BMI-for-age at both time points (b= 0.10, 0.13; 95%CI:0.03-0.17, 0.07-0.20; P< 0.05). Further longitudinal analyses will investigate these associations over time.

Conclusions: Our preliminary findings reveal that children with greater perceived social support for healthy behaviors may not experience lower food security and might have a higher bodyweight. This suggests that social support may play a multifaceted role in preventing childhood obesity. Future research is needed to better understand underlying mechanisms in order to inform effective policies and programs aimed at childhood obesity prevention.

Funding Sources: NIH U54HD070725