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Primary Submission Category: Life-course/developmental

Childhood Food Autonomy and Household Income: A Longitudinal Examination of Their Influence on BMI from Adolescence to Early Midlife

Authors:  Haotian Zheng, Muntasir Masum,

Presenting Author: Haotian Zheng*

Introduction:
Previous research has demonstrated a significant relationship between income and body mass index (BMI), with income inversely related to BMI. Beyond income, food choice also plays a crucial role in determining BMI. This study investigates how childhood autonomy influences an individual’s BMI throughout their life. Additionally, childhood household income is used as the baseline income for effect measure modifiers.
Methods:
This study used publicly available data from Waves I, IV, and V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, with a sample size of 3,713. The outcome variable was time-varying BMI, while the main exposure was time-invariant (baseline) food autonomy during childhood. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine whether autonomy’s impact on BMI varied across three different income groups.
Results:
Individuals who had food autonomy exhibited a slightly higher mean BMI across the three waves: 0.5 units in Wave I, 0.1 in Wave IV, and 0.1 in Wave V. Preliminary results indicate that among individuals in the low-income group at baseline, those with food autonomy had a BMI 1.8 units higher than those without food autonomy. However, no statistically significant relationship was found in the middle-income group.
Conclusion:
Food autonomy affects individuals’ BMI in the low-income group. Controlling for numerous time-varying variables from adolescence (Wave I) to early midlife (Wave V) led to attrition and reduced the sample size. Future research should explore groups beyond low-income individuals to determine whether the lack of statistically significant findings arises from unaccounted-for covariates or if no genuine association exists.