For Hispanic/Latino youth, lower food security (FS) is associated with unfavorable metabolic syndrome-relevant cardiometabolic markers, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Luis E. Maldonado, MPH, PhD, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study involving 1,325 Hispanic/Latino youth aged 8-16 to examine whether lower household and child FS were adversely associated with a metabolic syndrome composite variable and clinically measured cardiometabolic markers. Youth in the lowest FS category had signifi cantly lower HDL cholesterol than those with high FS for both FS measures (household FS: −3.17; child FS: −1.81). Compared with high child FS, low/very low child FS was associated with greater fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome expected log counts (β = 1.37, 8.68, and 2.12, respectively). “Given the increase in food insecurity that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Hispanic/ Latino immigrant families, these fi ndings may also foreshadow concerning trends for the health and well-being of Hispanic/ Latino youth,” the study authors wrote.
