Food Insecurity, Dietary Intakes, and Eating Behaviors in a Convenience Sample of Toronto Youth
Alexandra Dubelt-Moroz,
Marika Warner,
Bryan Heal,
Saman Khalesi,
Jessica Wegener,
Julia O. Totosy de Zepetnek,
Jennifer J. Lee,
Taylor Polecrone,
Jasmin El-Sarraj,
Emelie Holmgren,
Nick Bellissimo
Affiliations
Alexandra Dubelt-Moroz
School of Nutrition, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Marika Warner
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment LaunchPad, 259 Jarvis Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2C2, Canada
Bryan Heal
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment LaunchPad, 259 Jarvis Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2C2, Canada
Saman Khalesi
Physical Activity Research Group, Appleton Institute and School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, 160 Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Jessica Wegener
School of Nutrition, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Julia O. Totosy de Zepetnek
Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Jennifer J. Lee
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Taylor Polecrone
School of Nutrition, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Jasmin El-Sarraj
Campus Aarhus N, VIA University College, Banegårdsgade 2, 8700 Horsens, Denmark
Emelie Holmgren
Campus Aarhus N, VIA University College, Banegårdsgade 2, 8700 Horsens, Denmark
Nick Bellissimo
School of Nutrition, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Background: Food insecurity has been shown to be associated with poor dietary quality and eating behaviors, which can have both short- and long-term adverse health outcomes in children. The objective was to investigate the food security status, dietary intakes, and eating behaviors in a convenience sample of youth participating in the Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment LaunchPad programming in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Methods: Youth aged 9–18 years were recruited to participate in the study. Food security status, dietary intakes, and eating behaviors were collected using parent- or self-reported questionnaires online. Results: Sixty-six youth (mean ± SD: 11.7 ± 1.9 years) participated in the study. The prevalence of household food insecurity was higher than the national average with at least one child under 18 years of age (27.7% vs. 16.2%). Dietary intake patterns were similar to the national trends with low intakes of fiber, inadequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D; and excess intakes of sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat. Despite a low prevalence of poor eating habits, distracted eating was the most frequently reported poor eating habit. Conclusions: Although youth were at high risk for experiencing household food insecurity, inadequate dietary intake patterns were similar to the national trends. Our findings can be used to develop future programming to facilitate healthy dietary behaviors appropriate for the target community.
