Children with a chronic condition such as autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are much more likely to experience food insecurity than their peers, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Considering these findings, clinicians should consider prioritizing screenings for food insecurity in children with a chronic health condition, as well as “developing processes for connecting children who screen positive to programs that can provide food, such as food banks,” wrote Nina E. Hill, M.D., M.S., of the University of Michigan Medical School, and colleagues.
The researchers analyzed responses from the 2019 to 2023 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS). During this period, the NHIS asked families whether their children ages 2 to 17 had any of the following chronic health conditions: ADHD, asthma, autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, intellectual disability, learning disability, or prediabetes/diabetes.
Of 33,187 children with complete data, 20.4% had at least one chronic condition, which would reflect a national prevalence of 12.9 million children.
Across the study period, the prevalence of food insecurity among all children in the sample was 10.2%. However, children with a chronic condition had a much higher rate of food insecurity (14.8%) than those without a condition (9%). This difference remained significant even after factoring in other family variables that influence food insecurity, such as income, home location, and health insurance coverage.
In a supplementary analysis, Hill and colleagues reduced their sample to children ages 5 to 17 but added depression and anxiety as chronic conditions. This analysis produced similar results, with 14.6% of children with a chronic condition experiencing food insecurity compared with 8.7% of those without one.
The researchers noted that the association between childhood health and food insecurity may be bidirectional. “Parents of children with these conditions frequently miss work to attend to their child’s needs, decreasing their economic productivity. Additionally, these parents also face high direct costs for their child’s care,” they wrote.
On the other hand, prior research has indicated that food insecurity may worsen diet quality and increase chronic stress, which in turn could worsen a child’s physical and mental health.
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