Updated association between food insecurity and diabetes : National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NAHNES) 2013-2014

Abstract

Food insecurity is extremely problematic in today's society. The constant fear of being without food for yourself and/or your children can cause a significant impact on one's home life. Not having much money for food, families often rely on cheap meals filled with high calories to keep their stomachs satisfied until the next meal. By doing this, more and more people are developing diabetes because of the unhealthy eating habits. By using the most recent data from the 2013- 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), linear regression models were analyzed to figure out if there was an association between food insecurity and diabetes. This research was an updated analysis of Food Insecurity is Associated with Diabetes Mellitus: Results from the National Health Examination and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2002 by Seligman et al. The data used in this updated assessment consisted of 3,650 participants over the age of 20 who had an income to poverty ratio less than 300 percent. After multiple linear regression analyses, it was found that there was a significant association between food security and diabetes after adjusting for a variety of variables.