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Household Income, Food Insecurity and Nutrition in Canadian Youth

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Abstract

Objective: The contribution of nutrition to health inequalities is poorly understood, particularly with regard to children. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of income and the conjoint influence of low income and food insecurity on several dietary indicators in a representative sample of Canadian youth.

Methods: We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.2, a nationally representative population-based sample, to examine the diets of 8,938 youth aged 9–18 years. A single 24-hour recall was used to collect dietary information. Interviews were conducted in person, and anthropometric measurements were available for 71% of the sample. Estimates of variance were calculated using bootvar with weights specific to the CCHS. Generalized linear models were used to examine the associations between both low income and low-income food insecurity and anthropometric measures, food and nutrient intakes.

Results: Youth from low-income households had lower height percentiles than youth from higher-income households. Low-income girls (but not low-income boys) had a higher prevalence of BMI ≥85th percentile than their higher-income counterparts. Among low-income food-insecure households, there was a higher prevalence of BMI ≥85th percentile in boys than among the food-secure low-income boys. Calcium and vitamin D intakes were lower among boys and girls living in low-income households. Similarly, milk consumption was lower in low-income boys. Low-income food-insecure girls had lower milk intakes and higher intake of sweetened beverages.

Conclusions: We found some evidence of nutritional deprivation among Canadian youth from disadvantaged households. Longer-term indicators of nutritional status such as lower height and greater weight among disadvantaged households were consistent with these findings.

Résumé

Objectif: Le faible statut socioéconomique est associé à une moins bonne santé à tous les âges au Canada. Le rôle de la nutrition dans les inégalités en santé est mal compris, surtout chez les enfants. Nous avons cherché à examiner l’influence du revenu et l’influence conjointe du faible revenu et de l’insécurité alimentaire sur plusieurs indicateurs alimentaires au sein d’un échantillon représentatif de jeunes Canadiens.

Méthode: Nous avons utilisé les données du cycle 2.2 de l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes (ESCC), un échantillon représentatif de la population du pays, pour examiner le régime alimentaire de 8 938 jeunes de 9 à 18 ans. L’information sur le régime a été recueillie à l’aide d’une feuille de rappel des aliments ingérés pendant les 24 dernières heures. Les entretiens ont eu lieu en personne, et des mesures anthropométriques ont pu être prises sur 71 % de l’échantillon. Les estimations de la variance ont été calculées à l’aide du programme Bootvar avec des pondérations propres à l’ESCC. Des modèles linéaires généralisés ont servi à examiner les associations entre le faible revenu, et l’insécurité alimentaire combinée au faible revenu, et les mesures anthropométriques, les aliments ingérés et les apports en nutriments.

Résultats: Les jeunes des ménages à faible revenu se situaient dans des centiles de taille inférieurs à ceux des jeunes de ménages à revenu élevé. Les filles des ménages à faible revenu (mais pas les garçons) présentaient une plus forte prévalence d’IMC ≥85e centile que les filles des ménages à revenu élevé. Dans les ménages à faible revenu souffrant d’insécurité alimentaire, il y avait une plus forte prévalence d’IMC ≥85e centile chez les garçons que dans les ménages à faible revenu sans insécurité alimentaire. Les apports en calcium et en vitamine D étaient plus faibles chez les garçons et les filles vivant au sein de ménages à faible revenu. De même, la consommation de lait était inférieure chez les garçons des ménages à faible revenu. Les filles des ménages à faible revenu vivant une insécurité alimentaire consommaient proportionnellement moins de lait et plus de boissons édulcorées.

Conclusion: Dans un échantillon représentatif, nous avons trouvé des indices de défavorisation nutritionnelle chez les jeunes Canadiens vivant dans des ménages défavorisés. Les indicateurs à plus long terme de l’état nutritionnel, comme la taille inférieure et le poids supérieur dans les ménages défavorisés, étaient conformes à ces constatations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Sean Mark PhD & Katherine Gray-Donald PhD

  2. Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Marie Lambert MD

  3. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Jennifer O’Loughlin PhD

  4. CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Jennifer O’Loughlin PhD

  5. INSPQ, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Jennifer O’Loughlin PhD

  6. Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Katherine Gray-Donald PhD

Authors
  1. Sean Mark PhD
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  2. Marie Lambert MD
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  3. Jennifer O’Loughlin PhD
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  4. Katherine Gray-Donald PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sean Mark PhD.

Additional information

Acknowledgement: This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Conflict of Interest: None to declare.

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Mark, S., Lambert, M., O’Loughlin, J. et al. Household Income, Food Insecurity and Nutrition in Canadian Youth. Can J Public Health 103, 94–99 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404210

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