Food Insecurity and Food Addiction
Parnarouskis, Lindsey
2024
Abstract
Household food insecurity affects approximately 10.5% of US households and is associated with short and long-term negative health outcomes. Food addiction, which posits that highly processed foods are capable of triggering addictive responses akin to substance use disorders, occurs in approximately 15% of US adults. A recent study identified an association between food insecurity and food addiction in two samples of low-income women. Elements of food insecurity are consistent with established risk factors for addiction (increased stress, greater intake of potentially addictive highly processed food, intermittent access to food). This dissertation aimed to deepen scientific understanding of the relationship between food insecurity and food addiction and identify potential factors that may guide future research on this topic. Study 1 examined associations between retrospectively reported childhood food insecurity and food addiction and current adult food insecurity and food addiction in a community sample of adults. Current adult food insecurity was associated with current adult food addiction symptoms. Childhood food insecurity was associated with childhood food addiction symptoms and current adult food addiction symptoms. Individuals who reported both childhood and adult food insecurity reported more food addiction symptoms than those who only reported current adult food insecurity. Study 2 examined whether established mechanisms of addiction mediate the relationship between food insecurity and food addiction in a university sample. Food insecurity was indirectly related to food addiction symptoms through increased stress, increased food reward, and increased eating highly processed foods to cope with negative emotions. Although highly processed food consumption was directly related to food addiction symptoms, it did not mediate the relationship between food insecurity and food addiction. Study 3 qualitatively examined whether adults with food insecurity and food addiction interpret questions on the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 in line with the substance use disorder criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Participants overwhelmingly interpreted scale questions as expected, except for one individual whose responses seemed more driven by experiences of deprivation. Interpretations of tolerance and withdrawal were somewhat inconsistent with a substance use disorder conceptualization, as seen in samples of adults without food insecurity. Additionally, individuals described ways that availability of highly processed foods impacted their addictive eating patterns, their desire to prevent food waste contributed to overeating, and lack of access to highly processed foods contributed to withdrawal symptoms. These findings further demonstrate the association between food insecurity and food addiction across samples with varied demographic characteristics, which is mediated by mechanisms implicated in addiction. These findings may inform policy-level and individual intervention targets to reduce food addiction risk among individuals experiencing food insecurity, including increasing access to nutrition assistance programs, stress management skills, and alternative coping strategies for negative emotions. Future research should further consider the role of childhood food insecurity in food addiction and other health outcomes throughout the lifespan, probe specific critical developmental periods for the interaction between food insecurity and food addiction, and further explore the role of addiction mechanisms in the association between food insecurity, food addiction, and other substance use disorders.Deep Blue DOI
Subjects
food insecurity food addiction
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