Researcher David Holben found that subjects from households with
greater levels of what medical, nutrition and dietetic
professionals call "food insecurity" had a greater body mass
index (BMI) than those with smaller levels of food insecurity
(an average BMI of 30.3 vs. average BMI of 29). Those from food
insecure households also were more likely to have diabetes (37.9
percent) and to be overweight (48.1 percent) than subjects from
food secure households (25.8 percent and 35.1 percent,
respectively). The study was published in the July 2006 issue of
Preventing Chronic Disease, a publication of the Centers for
Disease Control. A total of 2,580 people participated in the
Ohio University project, with 72.8 percent from food secure
households and 27.2 percent from food insecure households that
may or may not be experiencing hunger. That's higher than the
national average: In 1999, the year the Ohio University study
was conducted, 10.1 percent of U.S. households were food
insecure. Food insecurity is associated he