Food Supply May Not Explain
Obesity in Poorer Kids
Excerpt By Suzanne Rostler, Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children from low-income US families may be at increased risk of obesity, studies have shown, but the reasons why are not clear. Now, researchers report that higher rates of obesity among poor children may not be a result of a limited availability of food.

This phenomenon, dubbed ``food insufficiency,'' could lead to obesity in several ways. First, low-income individuals may buy only cheaper foods, which tend to be rich in calories and fat and low in nutrients. Alternatively, going without food for any length of time could cause individuals to overeat when food is available. Finally, the body might learn to burn calories more slowly when there is not enough food.

But according to study findings published in the October issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, family income was not associated with overweight in children of any race aged 2 to 7. And among children aged 8 to 16, family income was found to affect only non-Hispanic whites. In this group, boys and girls from low- and middle-income families had higher rates of overweight, compared with non-Hispanic white boys and girls from wealthier families.

``It turns out that we can't generalize the statement that being poor is associated with being overweight for all Americans,'' lead author Dr. Katherine Alaimo, who conducted the study while at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, said in an interview. She is now with the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Overall, about 16% of low-income families with children aged 2 to 16 reported that there is sometimes or often not enough food for the family members.

The authors point out some of the study's limitations, including small sample sizes and a lack of information about how food availability fluctuates within families.

``It is very important to keep in mind that our paper is one of the first studies on this topic and because of limitations with the data, it is not conclusive,'' Alaimo said. ``I am unable to make claims about the specificity of mechanisms for causes of overweight for different race-ethnic groups and ages based on this one paper.''

She pointed out that rates of overweight and obesity are up among American children of all economic backgrounds. Making policy and environmental changes such as re-instituting mandatory daily physical activity in schools, requiring school lunches to meet certain nutritional requirements, and encouraging youngsters to watch less television could help prevent all children from gaining weight, Alaimo told Reuters Health.

``Poverty and food insufficiency are associated with serious health, academic and psycho-social problems among US children,'' she said, ``Achieving food security for all American children would be a high priority.''

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2001;155:1161-1167.

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