Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
5-27-2026
Journal
Scientific Reports
DOI
10.1038/s41598-026-52687-1
PMID
42204269
PMCID
PMC13443791
Abstract
Food insecurity and the at-home availability of vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverages both influence dietary intake. However, most research on food insecurity and the at-home availability of vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverages is cross-sectional, which is problematic as both change frequently. Therefore, this study assessed how changes in food insecurity were associated with changes in the at-home availability of vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverages among those in the intervention and control groups of TX Sprouts. Parents who participated in TX Sprouts, a gardening, cooking, and nutrition cluster-randomized trial conducted with primarily Hispanic, low-income 3rd-5th-grade students, completed surveys at baseline and at the nine-month follow-up regarding household food insecurity and the at-home availability of vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverages (n = 839). Changes in food insecurity were measured as a continuous variable and categorized according to guidelines at baseline and follow-up. Given that the TX Sprouts intervention improved the at-home availability of vegetables, and there was a significant interaction between changes in food insecurity and the intervention on the at-home availability of vegetables, the intervention and control groups were analyzed separately. Multivariable linear regression estimated how changes in food insecurity, as a continuous measure, were associated with changes in vegetable and sugar-sweetened beverage availability among those in the intervention and control groups. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze how changes in food insecurity, as a categorical measure, were associated with changes in vegetable and sugar-sweetened beverage availability among those in the intervention and control groups. In the control group, a one-point increase in food insecurity, indicative of becoming more food insecure, was associated with a decrease in the availability of vegetables (ß=-0.27, P< .001). In the intervention group, a one-point increase in food insecurity was associated with an increase in the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages (ß =0.05, P=.03). Further, in the control group, those with periodic food insecurity had a larger decrease in the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages compared to those with persistent food security (P=.02). In addition, in the intervention group, households with persistent food security experienced an increase in at-home vegetable availability, while households with periodic (P=.02) and persistent food insecurity (P< .001) experienced a significant decrease in at-home vegetable availability. Future interventions should improve the availability of healthy items for food-insecure households.
Keywords
Humans, Vegetables, Food Insecurity, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Female, Male, Child, Food Supply, Beverages
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Haushalter, Keally; Sharma, Shreela V; Burgermaster, Marissa; et al., "Food Insecurity and At-Home Vegetable and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Availability: TX Sprouts Randomized Controlled Trial" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 1545.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthsph_docs/1545
Comments
Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT02668744. Clinical Trial Registry: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02668744. First Registration Date: 01/29/2016.