Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of study respondents (n = 135), compared by household food security classification
| Characteristic | All parents (n = 135) | Parents in food secure households (n = 96) | Parents in food insecure households (n = 39) | P‐valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age group, % (n) | ||||
| 18–39 years | 33.3 (45) | 29.2 (28) | 43.6 (17) | 0.273 |
| 40–49 years | 45.2 (61) | 47.9 (46) | 38.5 (15) | |
| 50–69 years | 21.5 (29) | 22.9 (22) | 18.0 (7) | |
| Sex, % (n) | ||||
| Female | 68.9 (93) | 71.9 (69) | 61.5 (24) | 0.240 |
| Male | 31.1 (42) | 28.1 (27) | 38.5 (15) | |
| Ethnicity, % (n) | ||||
| Non‐Hispanic White | 80.0 (108) | 80.2 (77) | 79.5 (31) | 0.302 |
| Non‐Hispanic Black | 11.9 (16) | 9.4 (9) | 18.0 (7) | |
| Latino/a | 6.7 (9) | 8.3 (8) | 2.6 (1) | |
| Other/multiple | 1.5 (2) | 2.1 (2) | 0.0 (0) | |
| Highest level of education completed, % (n) | ||||
| High school, general equivalency diploma, or less | 22.2 (30) | 21.9 (21) | 23.1 (9) | 0.131 |
| Associate's or technical degree | 30.4 (41) | 26.0 (25) | 41.0 (16) | |
| Bachelor's degree | 34.8 (47) | 40.6 (39) | 20.5 (8) | |
| Graduate or professional degree | 12.6 (17) | 11.5 (11) | 15.4 (6) | |
| Annual household income, % (n) | ||||
| Less than $50 000 USD | 33.3 (44) | 24.7 (23) | 53.9 (21) | 0.018 |
| $50 000–$99 999 USD | 31.8 (42) | 35.5 (33) | 23.1 (9) | |
| $100 000–$149 999 USD | 25.8 (34) | 29.0 (27) | 18.0 (7) | |
| $150 000 or more USD | 9.1 (12) | 10.8 (10) | 5.1 (2) | |
| Food assistance programmes utilised, % (n) | ||||
| Supplemental nutrition assistance program | 17.8 (24) | 11.5 (11) | 33.3 (13) | 0.003 |
| Special supplemental program for women, infants, and children | 5.9 (8) | 4.2 (4) | 10.3 (4) | 0.174 |
| National school lunch programme | 25.2 (34) | 14.6 (14) | 51.3 (20) | 0.000 |
| Household size | ||||
| Number of members, mean (SD) | 4.2 (1.5) | 4.2 (1.2) | 4.3 (1.9) | 0.524 |
| Marital status, % (n) | ||||
| Married/domestic partnership | 81.5 (110) | 86.5 (83) | 69.2 (27) | 0.036 |
| Divorced/separated | 8.2 (11) | 7.3 (7) | 10.3 (4) | |
| Single | 10.4 (14) | 6.3 (6) | 20.5 (8) | |
| Primary food preparer, % (n) | ||||
| Yes | 79.9 (107) | 82.3 (79) | 73.7 (28) | 0.263 |
| No | 20.2 (27) | 17.7 (17) | 26.3 (10) | |
| Body mass index (BMI, kg m−2), mean (SD) | 27.4 (7.0), (n = 128) | 26.4 (7.0), (n = 90) | 29.8 (7.4), (n = 38) | 0.025 |
| Underweight, BMI < 18.5 kg m−2, % (n), mean (SD) | 4.7 (6), 17.8 (0.4) | 4.4 (4), 17.8 (0.1) | 5.3 (2), 17.7 (0.9) | 0.833 |
| Normal weight, BMI = 18.5–24.9 kg m−2, % (n), mean (SD) | 36.7 (47), 22.2 (1.8) | 43.3 (39), 22.3 (1.8) | 21.0 (8), 21.6 (1.5) | 0.284 |
| Overweight, BMI = 25.0–29.9 kg m−2, % (n), mean (SD) | 32.0 (41), 26.8 (1.4) | 32.2 (29), 26.4 (1.2) | 31.6 (12), 27.7 (1.6) | 0.021 |
| Obese, BMI ≥ 30.0 kg m−2, % (n), mean (SD) | 26.6 (34), 37.3 (6.7) | 20.0 (18), 37.5 (7.8) | 42.1 (16), 37.0 (5.5) | 0.850 |
a
P‐values when comparing characteristic by household food security classification using chi‐squared, Fisher's exact and Student's t‐tests (dependent on variable type and sample size per cell). Columns may not add to 100% because of rounding.