Poverty, food insecurity and overweightobesity in the Canadian population

Abstract

This study, based on the Canadian Community Health Survey (2004), examined the relationship between food insecurity and overweight/obesity among Canadian adults by sex and family type using logistic regression analysis; we also provided an environmental scan of policies, programs and initiatives to address food insecurity. In our final adjusted models, food insecure women with hunger were significantly more likely to be overweight/obese than food secure women [OR=2.3, CI=1.2, 4.3]. Our environmental scan revealed broad recognition of the importance of addressing food insecurity and concrete recommendations to do so. We found far less recognition of the implications of food insecurity for healthy weights within a policy context. The food insecurity/overweight/obesity relationship and its policy implications are complex; we need a better understanding of how underlying social and economic conditions, sex, and family type relate to income, food security and healthy weights.