Exposure to material hardship in childhood as a predictor of food insecurity in young adulthood

Author

• Kirstin VollrathFollow

ORCID

0000-0003-1505-7352

Year

2026

Season

Spring

Paper Type

Doctoral Dissertation

College

Brooks College of Health

Degree Name

Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN)

Department

Nutrition & Dietetics

NACO controlled Corporate Body

University of North Florida. Department of Nutrition & Dietetics

Committee Chairperson

J. Lauren Butler

Second Advisor

Andrea Arikawa

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Third Advisor

Jenifer Ross

Fourth Advisor

Afshin Zilanawala

Department Chair

Andrea Arikawa

College Dean

Mei Zhao

Abstract

While income-based poverty is a well-known risk factor for food insecurity, it often fails to capture the full experience of economic deprivation.^1,2 Material hardship, defined as the inability to meet basic needs such as housing, medical care, and utilities, offers a more direct measure of vulnerability.^3–5 Although research has shown that childhood exposure to material hardship leads to negative health and behavioral outcomes, there is a lack of evidence regarding how it may impact the risk of food insecurity in young adulthood.^6,7

This study utilized longitudinal data from the Future Families and Child Wellbeing Study, tracking a birth cohort of children from 1998 through 2023.⁸ The final analysis included 1,386 participants who were followed from birth to age 22. Material hardship was measured across five waves of childhood and adolescence using nine indicators, including food insufficiency, housing instability, unmet medical needs, unstable access to utilities and basic bill paying difficulties. The study employed statistical models to determine if any exposure, the total duration of exposure, or the average intensity of hardship during childhood predicted food insecurity at age 22. These models were adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial covariates.

The findings indicate that any exposure to material hardship during childhood significantly increases the odds of being food insecure in young adulthood compared to those with no exposure. Both the duration and the intensity of the hardship played a critical role; individuals who experienced hardship more frequently or with greater intensity faced higher risks of future food insecurity. Specifically, those with high-intensity hardship were more than twice as likely to be food insecure at age 22, even after accounting for other demographic and social factors.

The study concludes that material hardship is a robust, long-term predictor of food insecurity that persists independently of traditional income-based poverty measures. These results suggest that early-life deprivation functions as a developmental stressor with enduring consequences for nutritional well-being. Policymakers and health professionals should move beyond simple income metrics and use multidimensional hardship assessments to better identify at-risk children and implement interventions that break intergenerational cycles of food insecurity.

Suggested Citation

Vollrath, Kirstin, "Exposure to material hardship in childhood as a predictor of food insecurity in young adulthood" (2026). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1391.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/1391