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Title: HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY AND ADULTS' SELF REPORTED HEALTH STATUS

Author
item CASEY, PATRICK - ACHRI
item SZETO, KITTY - ACHRI
item GOSSETT, JEFFREY - ACHRI-DAC
item ROBBINS, JAMES - ACHRI
item SIMPSON, PIPPA - ACHRI-DAC
item STUFF, JANICE - CNRC, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF M
item CONNELL, CAROL - UNIV OF SOUTHERN MISSISSI

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/14/2003
Publication Date: 4/11/2003
Citation: CASEY, P.H., SZETO, K.L., GOSSETT, J.M., ROBBINS, J.M., SIMPSON, P.M., STUFF, J., CONNELL, C. HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY AND ADULTS' SELF REPORTED HEALTH STATUS. JOURNAL OF FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY. 2003. 17(4):A296-7. Abstract No. 187.15.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Household food security which reflects adequacy and stability of food supply in the home has been associated with lower nutrient intake and obesity in adults. The association of food security with adult general health status has not been adequately evaluated in high risk samples. A representative sample of 1540 adults from the Lower Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi were interviewed by telephone from January to June, 2000. Measures included the USDA Food Security Module, the SF12, a self reported measure of physical and mental health status, and one self rating of general health. Adults in food insecure households were significantly more likely to rate their health as poor/fair, and scored significantly lower on the physical and mental health scales of the SF12. These relationships remained when stratified by income and ethnicity. Food insecure respondents with household income of <$30,000 were twice as likely to report poor health than food secure respondents. In regression models controlling for income level and ethnicity, food insecurity was significantly associated with fair/poor health rating and lower scores on physical and mental scales of SF 12. Food insecurity is independently associated with poorer self reported health status of adults in this representative, rural, high risk sample. Supported by ARS/USDA Project #6251-53000-003-00D.