Supplement - Understanding The Risk of Obesity in Food-Insecure Children: The Hidden Role of Stress

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT Food insecurity, a household condition of limited food availability, affects 15 million US children today. Food- insecure children are at risk for adverse diet-related health conditions; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations have not been clearly identified. The K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (HD084758) focuses on the role of stress as a novel and important pathway to explain the adverse effects of food insecurity on children’s developmental and diet-related outcomes. Specifically, the R00 project is a longitudinal study of 167 low-income, Michigan-dwelling children and mothers investigating how food insecurity impacts weight gain through the pathways of stress and cognitive processes related to eating. Because research involving human subjects have been paused indefinitely due to COVID-19, the purpose of this Administrative Supplement is to complete data collection remotely for the 128 remaining families already enrolled in the study. Completing data collection for the remaining families is critical to achieving the original study aims because the primary outcomes are weight gain in children and mothers over a 12-month period. I have ample research experience in collecting high-quality health data without in-person contact, and have developed a highly feasible protocol for remote data collection for the low-income children and mothers already enrolled in the study. The Administrative Supplement will allow us to recommence data collection immediately and fulfill the project’s aims as originally proposed. Successful completion of the R00 project will lead to several publishable manuscripts, and further assist in writing subsequent NIH grants to understanding and improving food insecurity and diet-related health disparities in low-income populations.