Food Insecurity, Poor Diet Quality, and Obesity among Food Pantry Participants in Hartford, CT

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2012.07.001

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Volume 45, Issue 2, March–April 2013, Pages 159-164

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2012.07.001 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

Examine relationships between food security, diet quality, and body mass index (BMI) among food pantry users.

Methods

Convenience sample of 212 food pantry clients in Hartford, CT from June, 2010 to May, 2011. Main outcomes included food security (United States Department of Agriculture module), fruit and vegetable consumption (Block Screener), and BMI (stadiometer and digital medical scale). Chi-square tests, Spearman correlations, and logistic regression models were analyzed.

Results

Over half of the sample (50.5%) had very low food security. Mean BMI was 29.5 kg/m². Age was positively associated with food security (P < .01). Food-secure participants were twice as likely to eat fruit, vegetables, and fiber as food-insecure participants (P = .04). Women were 4 times as likely to be obese as men (P < .01), yet food insecurity was not associated with obesity in this sample.

Conclusions and Implications

Ensuring the nutritional adequacy of donated food is an important consideration for food donors and pantry staff.

Introduction

Access to food is a basic human need and fundamental right. Yet food insecurity—limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate, safe, and acceptable food¹—is present in millions of households across the United States (US). Recent estimates show 14.5% of US households are food insecure.² Hunger and food insecurity challenge the well-being of children, adults, families, and communities. The negative outcomes of food insecurity across the life course, including physical impairments, obesity among women, psychological suffering, and sociofamilial disturbances,3, 4, 5, 6 represent a serious, yet avoidable, public health issue.

An important response to the problem of hunger and food insecurity in the US has been both public and private food assistance programs. The majority of nutrition assistance to the low-income population is provided by the public sector, through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formally known as food stamps); School Lunch and Breakfast Programs; and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The private sector plays a valuable, complementary role to federal assistance programs. Private organizations—food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters —have helped to prevent even greater rates of hunger in America's low-income population.⁷

Over the past 3 decades, the demand for charitable food assistance, and the number of charitable food programs, has dramatically grown. Private food assistance is delivered through a national network of approximately 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens, and 3,600 emergency shelters. An estimated 33.9 million Americans receive food from food pantries.⁷ There are an estimated 50 food pantries within the city of Hartford, CT.⁸

People who go to food pantries are a subgroup of concern, as they have limited resources to purchase food and therefore rely on the availability and quality of donated food. The goal of this study was to examine relationships between food security status, diet quality, and body mass index (BMI) of food pantry clients in Hartford, CT. The results contribute to the understanding of the health and nutritional needs of food pantry users in Hartford, CT and reports on baseline data collected as part of a longitudinal evaluation of a community-based program called Freshplace, a new food pantry designed to build long-term food security and self sufficiency of clients. This study reports on baseline data before participants were randomized into the Freshplace program.

Section snippets

Setting and Participants

Although Connecticut is the second wealthiest state in the US, Hartford is the second poorest medium-sized city in the country, with a poverty rate of 31.9% in 2009.⁹ The poverty rate for the North End neighborhood in this study is higher, at 32.5%.¹⁰ Less than 60% of Hartford's North End residents possess a high school diploma, and only 5% are college graduates. Approximately 85% of the North End is black with a very strong Caribbean presence, 14% is Hispanic, and less than 1% is Asian and

Results

In total, 212 surveys were completed. Sample characteristics are shown in Table 1. Pantry users were predominately black (73.9%), followed by West Indian (19.0%), and female (59.0%). Median annual household income was $8,088, and 74.4% had monthly incomes less than $1,000. The mean age was 51.9 years, ranging from 19 to 87. Forty-four percent (44.3%) did not have their high-school diploma or general education development, and only 20.3% were employed at the time of the survey.

Participants

Discussion

Literature on food pantry clients is not extensive, and much is dated (over 5 years old),13, 14, 15, 16 from Canada,¹⁷ and qualitative.15, 16 This research provides current descriptive information about the food pantry clientele of the North End of Hartford. This study examined possible consequences of food insecurity as they relate to diet quality, obesity, and chronic disease, and it draws attention to the need for further research on health outcomes and food insecurity.

Although study

Implications for Research and Practice

Despite the growth of charitable food assistance over the past 3 decades, food insecurity rates remain high, and food insecurity is linked to poor diet quality. More effective responses to hunger, such as those addressing severe and chronic poverty as the root causes of food insecurity, are urgently needed. Because of the high rates of chronic diseases and poor diet quality among pantry clients, and the fact that urban, minority communities often have limited availability of healthy food,

Acknowledgments

This research would not have been possible without the efforts of a hardworking team of interviewers, including Jeanette Goyzueta, Erika Illyes, and Jonathan Mitchell. This research took place at the Three Angels Food Pantry and King's Chapel Food Pantry in Hartford, CT. The authors are grateful to their staff for their cooperation, hospitality, and assistance. The authors are especially grateful to all of the food pantry participants, who took time to answer questions and provide valuable

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Research BriefFood Insecurity, Poor Diet Quality, and Obesity among Food Pantry Participants in Hartford, CT

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions and Implications

Introduction

Section snippets

Setting and Participants

Results

Discussion

Implications for Research and Practice

Acknowledgments

J Nutr

J Health Econ

J Nutr

J Nutr Educ Behav

Am J Prev Med

Am J Prev Med

J Nutr Educ

J Nutr Educ Behav

J Nutr Educ Behav

J Nutr Educ Behav

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Clin Nutr

Research Brief
Food Insecurity, Poor Diet Quality, and Obesity among Food Pantry Participants in Hartford, CT