Growing food insecurity in US teens can have long-lasting effects: Study

NEW YORK -- About 9 million children live in food-insecure households in the United States, according to the US Department of Agriculture, with a new study showing food insecurity may also be associated with emotional eating and consumption of less nutritious foods in teens.

The study published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One said that food insecurity is associated with unhealthy diet and other unhealthy eating behaviors among adolescents, such as binge eating and using laxatives.

Food insecurity is not having access or resources for enough food to meet basic needs, and in the United States, food insecurity is a crisis that has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising food prices, Natalie Mokari, a dietitian based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was quoted by CNN as saying in its report of the topic.

Growing up with the feeling of not having enough as a teen can impact an adult's relationship with food even if they eventually have more money to buy food, Mokari said.

That can manifest in a feeling of disconnect, in which someone who is no longer food insecure feels the need to always finish their plate, even if they are getting uncomfortably full, she added.