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Food insecurity: Comparing odds between working-age veterans and nonveterans with children.

Kamdar N, Lester HF, Daundasekara SS, Greer AE, Hundt NE, Utech A, Hernandez DC. Food insecurity: Comparing odds between working-age veterans and nonveterans with children. Nursing Outlook. 2021 Mar 1; 69(2):212-220.

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Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Low-income, working-age Veterans with children have risk for food insecurity. Less known is extent to which their risk compares to nonveterans. PURPOSE: To evaluate odds of food insecurity for working-age Veterans with children compared to socioeconomically-matched nonveterans with children. METHOD: We constructed a propensity score-matched cohort using 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Covariate-adjusted logistic regressions estimated Veterans'' odds for overall food insecurity and for each level of severity compared to nonveterans. FINDINGS: We matched 155 Veterans to 310 nonveterans on gender, race/ethnicity, education, income. Models were adjusted for age, marital-status, depression, and listed matched variables. Although Veteran-status had no effect on overall food insecurity (odds ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [0.62,1.93]), Veteran-status increased odds for very low food security (odds ratio  =  2.71, 95% confidence interval [1.21, 6.07]). DISCUSSION: Veterans do not have higher odds of food insecurity than non-veterans, but they are more likely to have the more severe very low food security (often associated with hunger) than non-veterans. Investigation of food insecurity''s impact on Veteran health/well-being is needed.





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