Award Date

12-15-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

Environmental and Global Health

First Committee Member

Gabriela Buccini

Second Committee Member

Amanda Haboush-Deloye

Third Committee Member

Amanda Morgan

Fourth Committee Member

Kavita Batra

Number of Pages

72

Abstract

Food insecurity is defined as a household-level economic and social condition characterized by limited or uncertain access to adequate food the lack of consistent access to food, and it is influenced by multilevel factors. Individual-level maternal factors such as age, education, employment, race and ethnicity, language spoken, and partnership status may shape food insecurity. Grounded in the Social Determinants of Health Framework, this study examined how intersecting social and individual factors influence maternal food insecurity. This study investigates the association between food insecurity and individual-level factors among pregnant individuals and mothers of children under three years old in Clark County, Nevada. A cross-sectional study utilizing data from the 2024 Maternal Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) Survey, collected between August 2024 and January 2025. Food insecurity (outcome) was assessed using the validated six-item Abbreviated Child and Adult Food Security Scale (ACAFSS) and classified as very low, low, and food security. Maternal individual-level factors (predictors) were collected through structured survey items, including age, education, employment, race and ethnicity, language spoken, and partnership status. Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between maternal individual-level factors and food insecurity controlled by household-level factors. Among 438 participants, 34.7% experienced very low food security, and 21.2% experienced low food security. Mothers ages 35 years and older had 3 times higher odds of experiencing low food security (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.2–9.0, p = 0.02) and over two and half times higher odds to face very low food security (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.1–6.2, p = 0.04) compare with younger mothers under 25 years. Mothers who did not live with a partner had twice the higher odds of very low food insecurity (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI: [1.1–3.7], p=0.02). Education, employment, race, ethnicity, language spoken, and WIC participation were significant in the bivariate analysis but not associated in the multinomial analysis. This study documented the association between individual-level maternal factors such as age and partnership status and increase odds of experiencing food insecurity among pregnant individuals and mothers of children under three years old in Clark County, Nevada. These findings also point to the importance of creating focused efforts that tackle the social and economic challenges that contribute to maternal food insecurity.

Keywords

Clark County; Food Insecurity; Mothers; Nevada; Pregnant Individuals; SDOH

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Public Health | Public Policy

File Format

PDF

File Size

901 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Available for download on Wednesday, December 16, 2026


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