Citation

Jackson DB, Lynch KR, Helton JJ, Vaughn MG. Health Educ. Behav. 2018; 45(5): 756-763.

Affiliation

2 Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1090198118760683

PMID

29532691

Abstract

Children experiencing or witnessing violence in the home are at risk of a number of cognitive, social, and behavioral challenges as they age. A handful of recent studies have suggested that food insecurity may be one factor associated with violence against children in the home. The present study uses data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort to explore the link between household food insecurity during the first three waves of data collection (i.e., the first few years of life) and witnessing or being the victim of violence in the home among very young children (~ age 4). The results suggest that the predicted probability of early childhood exposure to violence and/or victimization in the home is nearly 6 times more likely in persistently food-insecure households (i.e., households that are food insecure across all three waves) relative to food secure households. Limitations and avenues for future research are noted.

Language: en

Keywords

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (ECLS-B); children; food insecurity; victimization; violence