Health implications of food insufficiency

This study examined the relationship between food insufficiency and health outcomes in the third National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES III). The subjects were the food insufficient respondents and a comparison matched for income. The health outcomes in the study were the syndrome X conditions that included BMI, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, and the Global Health Assessment Scale (GHAS). Subjects were classified as food insufficient if the family respondent reported that the family sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat. Using the multiple logistic regression procedure in SUDAAN, a proportional odds ratio (POR) was estimated to determine the association between health status and food insufficiency as well as between health status and the syndrome X conditions. A logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between the syndrome X conditions and food sufficiency. Because to their potential to impact health status, age, educational attainment, marital status, gender and race/ethnicity were included in the model as covariates.