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Session: Contributions of Food Insecurity in Adulthood to Nutrition and Health Disparities (Oral 1)

(OR01-05-24) Health Disparities in the Gulf South: Unpacking the Relationship Between Food Insecurity, Stress, and Intimate Partner Violence in New Orleans

Saturday, June 29, 2024
3:48 PM – 4:00 PM CT
Location:  W375B
ECRAC

    Presenting Author(s)

  • SC

    Shalean M. Collins, PhD, MPH, RD

    Research Assistant Professor
    Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • MC

    M. Pia Chaparro

    University of Washington School of Public Health
    Seattle, Washington, United States

  • JF

    Julia M. Fleckman, PhD, MPH

    Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

  • KT

    Katherine P. Theall, PhD, MPH

    Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Objectives: Food insecurity (FI)–having limited or uncertain access to food–is disproportionately experienced in the U.S. by individuals subjected to systematic racial and socioeconomic inequities. FI has severe consequences for physical and mental health, contributing to increased risk of obesity and chronic disease. Furthermore, FI is associated with violence, with marginalized households experiencing simultaneous FI and intimate partner violence (IPV) at elevated rates. This study examined the association between FI and IPV – and the potential moderating effect of stress – in New Orleans, a city with high rates of violence, FI, and racial and socioeconomic inequity.

Methods: This study used secondary cross-sectional data from a larger project of adult residents of New Orleans, LA in 2020 (n=329). Using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated the association between FI (predictor, measured with the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module) and IPV (outcome, measured with the adapted Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with Harm, and Screamed at-HITS Scale). Stress was assessed using the four-item Perceived Stress Scale and treated as a continuous moderating variable. Covariates included age, sex, race, relationship status, employment, educational attainment, and household size.

Results: 69.5% of the sample were women, 76.3% were Black, 66.1% were married or in a relationship, 42.4% were employed, 90.1% had more than high school education, and mean household size was 2.2±1.4. FI was high, experienced by 19.0% of respondents (vs. 10.5% nationally); 7.7% experienced IPV, and mean (SD) stress score was 4.1(3.2). In fully adjusted models including all covariates and perceived stress, FI households had 13.5 times the odds of IPV compared to those in food secure households (CI 1.48-122.3). The statistically significant interaction between FI and stress on IPV suggested that stress moderated the association between FI and IPV.

Conclusions: We found an association between IPV, FI, and stress. Results suggest that interventions focusing on ameliorating both food insecurity and stress among similar populations may be impactful in reducing IPV.

Funding Sources: NIH (R01); Robert Wood Johnson Foundation