Psychosocial contributors to runaway and homeless adolescent nutrition: A social work perspective

This is an exploratory study of 91 runaway/homeless youths' nutritional intake. Specifically, this study examines the influences of these youth's psychosocial characteristics on nutritional intake. Findings show that these youth's diets are high in fat/sugar, tend to be fried, and easy to access/consume while on the run. Homeless and throwaway youth were found to have the worst nutritional intake patterns of all the youth in the sample. Youth between ages twelve and fifteen consumed more sucrose daily, but had better vitamin, calcium and iron consumption than did youth between ages sixteen and eighteen. Youth whose parents received public assistance, disability insurance and social security had better iron and calcium intake than youth whose parents had salaried income. Youth that experienced more psychological issues consumed the least calories daily and consumed the least calories from sucrose daily. Experiencing physical abuse by one's mother, part of a three variable model, was found to predict higher levels, of sucrose intake daily. Also, experiencing neglect by one's father, part of a four variable model, was found to predict more caloric intake daily. Youth shelter-based social workers and health care-based social workers need to assess these youth's food choices and access to food while living on the streets and intervene as part of multidisciplinary teams. In that way, they may be instrumental in the development of community networks that provide food and assistance to runaway and homeless youth while on the run.