Examining the Relationship between Food Insecurity and Obesity in the United States Using a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between weight status, food insecurity, sex, marital status, and race. The 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset was analyzed using a multinominal logistic regression and crosstabulations. It was found that those who were low food secure and very low food secure were more likely to be obese. Hispanics including Mexican Americans were more likely to be overweight and obese. Where non-Hispanic Black individuals were more likely to be obese but not overweight. Both non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic including Mexican American individuals were more likely to be food insecure. Females were less likely than males to be overweight but more likely to be obese. Males and females had similar occurrences of all levels of food security. Those who were married were more likely to be both overweight or obese. Those who were not married were more likely to be food insecure.