Objective: Approximately 11% of the U.S. population experiences food insecurity (FI; insufficient access to healthy food due to financial constraints). FI is associated with detrimental health outcomes, including the development of eating disorders (EDs). However, additional studies are needed, particularly in adolescence when EDs are likely to emerge. The current study will utilize an experimental ad libitum snack paradigm to investigate snack consumption, acquisition (i.e., taking snacks home), and associated disordered eating behaviors among racially, ethnically, and financially diverse adolescents living with FI and food security (FS).
Method: Sixty-four adolescents will be recruited and randomized into one of two conditions: prior knowledge condition (i.e., participants will know prior to snacking that they can take any remaining food home) and no prior knowledge condition (i.e., participants will not know ahead of time that they can take snacks home).
Results: We expect youth with FI to show increased eating and acquisition behaviors compared to youth with FS across both conditions.
Discussion: This study, utilizing a novel experimental design, is an important step in understanding how FI impacts adolescent eating behaviors among youth from marginalized backgrounds, who have historically been excluded from research.
Keywords: ad libitum; adolescent; dietary restraint; disordered eating behaviors; food insecurity; marginalized populations; minority health; preregistered; registered report; test meal.
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