Relationships between Food Insecurity, Self-Efficacy, and Changes in Body Mass Index among the Youth in Taiwan: Analysis from a Longitudinal Cohort Survey

TL;DR

This study explores how food insecurity and self-efficacy affect BMI changes in economically disadvantaged youth in Taiwan.

Contribution

The novel contribution is identifying how baseline self-efficacy influences both initial BMI and its growth trajectory among vulnerable youth.

Findings

Higher baseline food insecurity predicted higher initial BMI.

Higher baseline self-efficacy was linked to lower initial BMI but faster BMI growth.

Self-efficacy could be a key factor in multidisciplinary interventions for weight management in vulnerable youth.

Abstract

Background: Food insecurity is a heightened concern among economically disadvantaged youth, and it may contribute to the atypical body mass index (BMI) patterns frequently observed in this group. Self-efficacy seems to intervene in the negative impacts of contextual restraints. This study investigated the relationship between food insecurity, self-efficacy, and BMI trajectory among economically disadvantaged Taiwanese youth. Methods: We utilized three-wave longitudinal data from the Taiwan Database of Children and Youth in Poverty. The Food Insecurity Score (FIS) assessed food insecurity with a 4-item scale measuring reduced meal frequency, hunger, skipping meals, and economic constraints. Moreover, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) assessed self-efficacy, showcasing the ability to handle stress effectively and envision success scenarios, contributing to positive outcomes. By employing latent growth modeling, we were able to delineate the impacts of baseline food insecurity and self-efficacy on initial BMI and its subsequent growth trajectory. Results: Elevated baseline FIS significantly predicted higher initial BMI (coefficient = 0.420, p = 0.042). Baseline GSES was negatively associated with initial BMI (coefficient = −0.093, p < 0.001) but positively predicted the BMI growth rate (coefficient = 0.023, p = 0.011). Conclusion: Enhancing self-efficacy may be an effective multidisciplinary intervention to address psychosocial and socioeconomic factors when tackling weight problems in vulnerable youth groups.

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