Associations Between Food Insufficiency and Health Conditions Among New York City Adults, 2017 –2018

AbstractFood insecurity, a critical social determinant of health, has been measured nationwide in the United States for years. This analysis focuses on food insufficiency, a more severe form of food insecurity, in New York City (NYC) and its association with self-reported physical and mental health conditions. Data from the 2017 –2018 NYC Community Health Survey were used to estimate the prevalence of food insufficiency citywide, by neighborhood, and across selected socioeconomic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the associations between food insufficiency and hypertension, diabetes ob esity, and depression, adjusting for selected sociodemographic characteristics. Approximately 9.4% (95% CI:8.8-10.0%]) of adult New Yorkers aged 18 + reported food insufficiency, with neighborhood variation from 1.7% (95% CI:0.5-6.2%) to 19.4% (95% CI:14.2-25.8%). Food insufficiency was more pre valent among Latinos/as (16.9%, 95% CI:15.5-18.3%, p <  0.001), Black (10.1%, 95% CI:8.8-11.5%, p <  0.001) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (6.6%, 95% CI:5.4-8.1%, p = 0.002) compared to White New Yorkers (4.2%, 95% CI:3.5-5.1%). Prevalence of food insufficiency was higher among NYC adults with less than a high school education, (19.6%, 95% CI:17.7-21.6%), compared to college graduates (3.8%, 95 % CI:3.2-4.4%, p <  0.001). In the adjusted logistic regression model, food insufficiency was associated with diabetes (OR = 1.36; 95% CI:1.12â...
Source: Journal of Community Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research