Food insecurity in families with children with limiting health conditions

Objective: We examined food insecurity in households with children with limiting health conditions compared to households with children without limiting health conditions, controlling for gender, age, race, presence of a spouse, education and food stamp status. Data was collected during the economic downtown. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals, to describe the relationship between having a child with a limiting health condition and food insecurity. Data from the 2008-2011 Making Connections survey (N=4315) of seven high poverty communities were used. Results: Having a child with a limiting health condition made a household’s odds 1.41 times more likely to be food insecure. When there are two or more children with limiting conditions in the household, the odds of food insecurity are 1.67 times higher than a family with no children with a disabling health condition. Conclusions: Families with children with limiting health conditions are especially at risk of experiencing food insecurity, which can complicate health conditions. Nutrition assistance programs are vital to keep children and families food secure.