Nutrition of Young Children Living in Households Accessing Food Grants and Foodbanks: Findings from the Growing Up in New Zealand Cohort Study ^†

Abstract

Good nutrition in early childhood is essential for optimal brain development, growth, learning to eat, and establishing healthy food preferences. Little is known about exposure to food insecurity among young children in Aotearoa New Zealand and the impact of this on child nutrition. This study sought to understand the relationship between household food grant/foodbank use when children were aged 9- and 54-months old and eight indicators of early childhood nutrition. Data were from the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort (n = 6032) born in 2009/10. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression were used. At 9 months of age, 12% of mothers reported using food grants/foodbanks in the past 12-months, decreasing to 8.4% at 54-months. However, these were largely different families. Ethnic inequities were marked: 34.5% of tamariki Māori and 40.3% of Pasifika children experienced food grant/foodbank use at either or both time points. Children living in households accessing food grants/foodbanks were significantly more likely to have poorer nutrition across the eight indicators. After adjustment for differences in household income and size, child ethnicity, mother’s age and education, and neighbourhood deprivation, infants whose mothers had made use of special food grants/foodbanks were more likely to have tried sugary drinks (AOR:1.45, p < 0.01) and unhealthy foods (AOR:1.44, p < 0.01) compared to other infants. At 54-months of age, they were nearly twice as likely to be served a low variety of vegetables (AOR:1.91, p < 0.01) compared to other children. In the early 2010s, the use of food grants/foodbanks was common in young families, and ethnic inequities were stark and persistent. Food insecurity was associated with multiple aspects of child nutrition. Policy responses to food insecurity must be made in meaningful partnerships with Māori and Pasifika whānau and communities, and enable sufficient support for families with young children, to ensure all tamariki have the best nutritional start in life.