Household food insecurity, body weight status and binge eating behaviour of early adolescents in bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor

Background: Food insecurity has become a global issue. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. A common misperception is that food insecurity or scarcity of food is the primary cause of undernutrition. But a shortage of food can also lead to obesity. Food insecurity may also increase the risk of binge eating through a “feast-or-famine” cycle. Purpose: To identify the prevalence of household food insecurity among early adolescents aged 11-12 years old in Bandar Puncak Alam and to assess the relationship between household food insecurity, binge eating behaviour and the body weight status of early adolescents. Method: The Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity Instrument will be used to assess the household food security status, Skala Tabiat Pemakanan questionnaire will be utilised to measure the occurrence of binge eating behaviour. Body weight and height that were obtained from Standard Kecergasan Fizikal Kebangsaan (SEGAK) were measured to obtain the body mass index (BMI). Result: The prevalence of household food insecurity in this study was 62.9% and there were no significant relationship observed between household food insecurity and body weight status (p = 0.127), binge eating behaviour (p = 0.179) and between body weight status and binge eating behaviour (p = 0.257) Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of better understanding how socioeconomic and environmental factors interact to influence adolescents’ food security, body weight status and binge eating behaviour.