Dietary intake and risk factors associated with food insecurity

Background: Food insecurity is a condition that occurs whenever the ability to obtain enough food for a healthy life is limited or uncertain. Food insecurity may lead to consumption of more highly palatable foods, leading to poorer diet quality and a risk of chronic disease over time. Latino households experience higher rates of food insecurity compared to the national average. This is an important issue to address in regions with a growing Latino population, such as San Diego County. Examination of dietary intake and risk factors associated with food insecurity is needed in order to prevent adverse health outcomes in this population.;Methods: Three hundred and seventy adult Latino customers from sixteen food stores located in San Diego County were evaluated as a part of the El Valor de Nuestra Salud study. Using baseline data from this study, bivariate and logistic regression analysis were conducted for 370 of the respondents in order to (a) examine differences in fruit and vegetable intake and percentage energy from fat by food security status and (b) identify risk factors associated with food insecurity among the Latino sample.;Results: Food insecurity was reported among 50.3 percent of the sample. The results found no significant differences in fruit and vegetable consumption and percentage energy fat by food security group. Food insecurity was more common among those who were living below the poverty threshold, and those who were married. Food insecurity was less common among those participating in WIC. No association was found between food insecurity and the other variables of interest.;Discussion: Previous studies have found food insecurity to be associated with poor diet quality, yet no association was found in this study. Significant relationships between poverty status, marital status, and WIC participation and food insecurity suggest that this condition is influenced by the availability and distribution of socio-economic resources. Longitudinal research is needed to observe changes in diet and risk factors as levels of food security change. The findings from this study highlight possible indicators of the multifaceted phenomenon of food insecurity among Latinos.