# Food Insecurity, Neighborhood Environment, and Weight Trajectories in Young Children: Implications for Food Assistance Policy

> **NIH NIH R01** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $725,481

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY Nearly 14% of US households with children were food insecure before the start of the
COVID-19 crisis, and this number increased dramatically during the pandemic. Food insecurity (FI)—
inadequate access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life—threatens
critical early childhood growth and can put children at risk for poor short- and long-term health. FI is also a
major source of inequity among children: compared to white households with children, Black households are 3
times as likely and Latinx households over twice as likely to experience FI. The degree to which household FI
impacts children’s diet and weight may vary depending on caregivers’ shielding behaviors (e.g., skipping meals
to prioritize feeding their children), characteristics of the neighborhoods where families live (e.g., healthy food
access), and participation in food assistance programs.
 The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is an important
evidence-based program that supports equitable child health by providing families with children aged 0–4
access to nutritionally and developmentally appropriate foods and counseling. However, only half of those who
are eligible for WIC participate; among those who do participate, nonredemption or partial redemption of the
monthly benefit is common. Maximizing the effectiveness of this cornerstone food assistance program requires
understanding the multilevel factors that influence families’ participation and use of the benefit.
 The goal of the proposed exploratory sequential mixed-methods study is to inform implementation of
WIC and other food assistance policies by analyzing how household FI is associated with weight trajectories
among young children, and how this association is modified by neighborhood environment and public food
assistance programs. We will accomplish this goal through the following specific aims:
Aim 1: Conduct in-depth qualitative focus groups with caregivers with low incomes to investigate families’ food
purchasing, feeding practices, and food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis and economic recovery,
including recent changes in WIC and neighborhood characteristics.
Aim 2: Assess whether FI at age 2 to 36 months predicts weight gain trajectories to age 3 and 6 years before
and after onset of the COVID-19 crisis.
Aim 3: Assess interactions between FI and (focus group-identified) neighborhood environments in early life as
predictors of child weight gain trajectories to age 3 and 6 years before and after onset of the COVID-19 crisis.
 We will integrate qualitative and quantitative findings in an integrative report to inform WIC program
recommendations to best support families’ healthy feeding choices and children’s healthy growth in the context
of multilevel contributing factors. The evidence we produce can be used to improve WIC implementation to
support families with young children in metropolitan areas long-term and in tim...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10502822
- **Project number:** 1R01DK133389-01
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Felice Le-Scherban
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $725,481
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-03 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10502822

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10502822, Food Insecurity, Neighborhood Environment, and Weight Trajectories in Young Children: Implications for Food Assistance Policy (1R01DK133389-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10502822. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*