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Smoking and hunger may not seem naturally connected. But a new medical study has identified that children who live in households with at least one adult smoker are more likely to be underfed, according to Dr. Cynthia Cutler-Triggs of the New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital.

According to the study families with at least one smoker spend 2% to 20% of their income on tobacco, potentially draining financial resources needed to provide their kids with enough food.

Overall, 26% of adults living with smokers were not getting enough food on a daily basis, compared with 12% of adults who didn’t live with smokers (P<0.001).

17 percent of children in low income smoking households suffered food insecurity, compared to an overall food insecurity rate of 11 percent among children. Severe food insecurity occurred among 3.2 percent of children in smoking households.

An estimated 2 percent to 20 percent of smokers’ incomes goes for tobacco, which may compete with the grocery budget in some families. Household income accounted for some but not all of the difference in food security. Dr. Weitzman expressed concern that a continued recession may worsen the problem. “If the economic downturn persists, both food insecurity and adults smoking are likely to increase… [because smoking] is one of the hardest addictions to give up.”

The researchers said their study was limited by its cross-sectional design and self-reported data. It also was limited by unmeasured potential confounders, such as immigration status and non-income financial support.

The research was published in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.