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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

Household food insecurity, dietary intake, and weight status among children in Madrid, Spain: A cross-sectional study

  • Luis Carmona-Rosado1
  • Julia Díez2
  • Pedro Gullón3
  • Elisa Buenaga4
  • Ana Moragues-Faus5
  • José Manuel Díaz-Olalla6
  • Luisa N. Borrell7
  • Manuel Franco
7 affiliations
  1. 1Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
  2. 2Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, The City University of New York, New York, United States of America
  3. 3Conselleria de Sanidad Universal y Salud Pública, Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain
  4. 4Departamento de historia económica, Instituciones, política y economía municipal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  5. 5Madrid Salud, Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  6. 6BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change, Adaptation Lab, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
  7. 7Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
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Abstract

Background: Household food insecurity (HFI) is increasingly prevalent and disproportionately affects households with children, who may be particularly vulnerable to adverse diet-related outcomes. However, evidence on the association between HFI and these outcomes in Mediterranean settings is scarce. This study assessed the association between HFI, dietary intake, and weight status in a socioeconomically diverse sample of children aged 3–12 years living in Madrid, Spain. Methods: We analyzed data from a citywide cross-sectional survey conducted in Madrid in 2017 (n = 5,144), including objective anthropometric measurements (height and weight) of children aged 3–12 years, and parent-reported information on HFI and children’s intake of fruits, vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). We fitted Poisson regression models with robust standard errors to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for overweight and obesity, and multinomial logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for dietary intake outcomes, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Overall, 18.1% of children experienced HFI. After adjustment for age, sex, and family affluence, HFI was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight (PR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.31), but not obesity (PR = 1.20; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.48). Experiencing HFI was also associated with higher odds of never consuming fruits (OR= 1.81; 95% CI:1.25, 2.64) or vegetables (OR= 3.23; 95% CI: 2.03, 5.13), and of consuming SSB daily (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.01,2.76). Moreover, we found stronger associations among girls; however, we only observed evidence of interaction by sex for fruit consumption. Conclusions: HFI was associated with a less frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, a more frequent intake of SSBs, and a higher prevalence of overweight. Our findings underscore the need for policies and interventions addressing HFI and supporting access to healthy foods, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged households with children.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{carmonarosado2026household,
  title = {{Household food insecurity, dietary intake, and weight status among children in Madrid, Spain: A cross-sectional study}},
  author = {Luis Carmona-Rosado and Julia Díez and Pedro Gullón and Elisa Buenaga and Ana Moragues-Faus and José Manuel Díaz-Olalla and Luisa N. Borrell and Manuel Franco},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358967},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358967},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Household food insecurity, dietary intake, and weight status among children in Madrid, Spain: A cross-sectional study
AU  - Luis Carmona-Rosado
AU  - Julia Díez
AU  - Pedro Gullón
AU  - Elisa Buenaga
AU  - Ana Moragues-Faus
AU  - José Manuel Díaz-Olalla
AU  - Luisa N. Borrell
AU  - Manuel Franco
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358967
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358967
AB  - Background: Household food insecurity (HFI) is increasingly prevalent and disproportionately affects households with children, who may be particularly vulnerable to adverse diet-related outcomes. However, evidence on the association between HFI and these outcomes in Mediterranean settings is scarce. This study assessed the association between HFI, dietary intake, and weight status in a socioeconomically diverse sample of children aged 3–12 years living in Madrid, Spain. Methods: We analyzed data from a citywide cross-sectional survey conducted in Madrid in 2017 (n = 5,144), including objective anthropometric measurements (height and weight) of children aged 3–12 years, and parent-reported information on HFI and children’s intake of fruits, vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). We fitted Poisson regression models with robust standard errors to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for overweight and obesity, and multinomial logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for dietary intake outcomes, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Overall, 18.1% of children experienced HFI. After adjustment for age, sex, and family affluence, HFI was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight (PR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.31), but not obesity (PR = 1.20; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.48). Experiencing HFI was also associated with higher odds of never consuming fruits (OR= 1.81; 95% CI:1.25, 2.64) or vegetables (OR= 3.23; 95% CI: 2.03, 5.13), and of consuming SSB daily (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.01,2.76). Moreover, we found stronger associations among girls; however, we only observed evidence of interaction by sex for fruit consumption. Conclusions: HFI was associated with a less frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, a more frequent intake of SSBs, and a higher prevalence of overweight. Our findings underscore the need for policies and interventions addressing HFI and supporting access to healthy foods, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged households with children.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -