We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Socioeconomic Status, Food Security, and Dental Caries in US Children: Mediation Analyses of Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2008.
- Authors
Chi, Donald L.; Masterson, Erin E.; Carle, Adam C.; Mancl, Lloyd A.; Coldwell, Susan E.
- Abstract
Objectives. We examined associations of household socioeconomic status (SES) and food security with children's oral health outcomes. Methods. We analyzed 2007 and 2008 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data for children aged 5 to 17 years (n = 2206) to examine the relationship between food security and untreated dental caries and to assess whether food security mediates the SES-caries relationship. Results. About 20.1% of children had untreated caries. Most households had full food security (62%); 13% had marginal, 17% had low, and 8% had very low food security. Higher SES was associated with significantly lower caries prevalence (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.77; 95% confidence interval = 0.63, 0.94; P = .01). Children from households with low or very low food security had significantly higher caries prevalence (PR = 2.00 and PR = 1.70, respectively) than did children living in fully food-secure households. Caries prevalence did not differ among children from fully and marginally food-secure households (P = .17). Food insecurity did not appear to mediate the SES-caries relationship. Conclusions. Interventions and policies to ensure food security may help address the US pediatric caries epidemic.
- Subjects
UNITED States; HYPOTHESIS; CONFIDENCE intervals; STATISTICAL correlation; DENTAL caries in children; EPIDEMIOLOGY; REGRESSION analysis; RESEARCH funding; DATA analysis; SOCIOECONOMIC factors; DISEASE prevalence; CROSS-sectional method; FOOD security; STATISTICAL models; DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 2014, Vol 104, Issue 5, p860
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2013.301699