Diet, Nutrient Status, and Food Insecurity

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Arkansas has one of the highest rates for food insecurity and 27.7% of children in the University of Arkansas area are food insecure. In addition, more than 14% of children ages 2-4 are obese and 20% of children ages 10-17 are obese. In Northwest Arkansas, the area surrounding the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (Washington County), the food insecurity rate for adults is 17.9% (an estimated 34,730 individuals) and the food insecurity rate for children under 17 years of age is 24.4% (12,150 individuals). In addition, the surrounding counties have similar food insecurity rates (This makes Northwest Arkansas an ideal location to conduct a pilot study focusing on egg supplementation, childhood obesity, and food insecurity (http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/our-research/map-the-meal-gap).

Official Title
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The Effect of Dietary Supplementation on Nutrient Status in Families Living in a Food Insecure Environment

Conditions
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Food Insecurity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Dietary Supplement: Egg supplementation


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Food insecurity assessed by use of SNAP benefits or qualifying using the US Food Security Scale). Exclusion Criteria: No dietary restrictions Fear of needles Metabolic disorders Picky eating Taking medication

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 7 Years
Maximum Age: 100 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Nutrition Supplementation<br> | Dietary Supplement: Egg supplementation<br>* Participants will required to consume 2 eggs per day, 5 days a week (a total of 10 eggs per week).<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br> | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Micronutrient status in plasma | Micronutrients status will be measured using plasma samples. | The change in micronutrient status (e.g. iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12) will be measured from baseline to 16 weeks to determine if the dietary intervention improves baseline micronutrient status. | 
| Body composition | Body composition will be measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) . | The change in body composition (e.g. ratio of lean to fat mass) will measured from baseline to 16 weeks. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Height | Height (in centimeters) will be measured using a stadiometer. | The change in height will be measured from baseline to 16 weeks. | 
| Weight | Weight (in kilograms) will be measured using a scale. | The change in weight will be measured from baseline to 16 weeks. | 
| Waist-to-hip ratio | Waist-to-hip ratio will be measured using the protocol outlined by the World Health Organization. | The change in waist-to-hip ratio will be measured from baseline to 16 weeks. |