The role of neighborhoods in household food insufficiency: Considering interactions between physical disorder, low social capital, violence, and perceptions of danger

Abstract

Rationale: Food insecurity is a significant public health concern, with implications for community and individual health and well-being. Although a growing body of literature points to the role of neighborhoods in household food insecurity, studies using nationally representative samples to explore interactions between neighborhood risks - including violence and danger - are lacking.

Objective: The present study examines whether interactions between physical disorder, low social capital, and violence/danger in the neighborhood have significant implications for the risk of household food insufficiency using a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. children and their families.

Method: Data are from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a survey of a cross-sectional weighted probability sample of U.S. children from 0 to 17 years of age. Multinomial logistic regression techniques were used to analyze the data.

Results: Neighborhood risk factors interacted to predict household food insufficiency, with the confluence of low social capital and violence/danger yielding the strongest effects.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that food hardship should be addressed within the context of neighborhood revitalization. The risk of food insufficiency among children and families in especially high-risk ecological contexts might be ameliorated with the provision of informal and formal sources of nutrition assistance and support.

Keywords: Hunger; Neighborhoods; Nutrition; Physical disorder; Social capital; Violence.