Food insecurity, free school meal status, and obesity in adolescence

The next All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report is focusing on food insecurity and obesity. The first parliamentary meeting on December 10th will outline the issues surrounding food insecurity in the UK and highlight some of the evidence which may help lead to solutions.

Food insecurity can be broadly defined as uncertainty around the quantity and quality of food available; it has been increasing in Europe since the 2008 recession and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic1–4. Free school meals (FSM) are considered a critical tool for mitigating the negative effects of child poverty – including food insecurity – among low-income families but previous research has indicated that a substantial number of children experience food insecurity regardless of whether they receive FSM5. In the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort, previous research have described the prevalence and experience food insecurity has in early life and examined it in relation to childhood outcomes such as diet, obesity and maternal mental health6–9. We have also observed a lower prevalence of reported food insecurity by South Asian mothers compared to White British mothers; it was hypothesized that South Asian families may be “protected” from food insecurity due to stronger social networks such as extended families that provide social, financial, or emotional support.

There is interest in capturing the experiences of food insecurity during the adolescent period using data from the Age of Wonder project and we have an opportunity to examine food insecurity as reported by adolescents rather than parents. We are interested in undertaking analyses to understand the number of adolescents experiencing food insecurity, how it may impact on diet, whether FSM are a mitigating measure for experiencing food insecurity, and whether young people experiencing food insecurity are more likely to have excess body weight.

Our findings will be incorporated into the APPG report and be presented at the APPG meetings. There is potential for BiB evidence to make an impact at a national level.