Food Pantries and Food Insecurity in College During COVID-19

Abstract Aim This study aimed to assess the impact of the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) system on client food selections at a food pantry. Subject and methods In a pre–post comparison study design, a client-choice food pantry implemented SWAP by reorganizing its inventory to promote healthy options. Each product was ranked as “choose often” (green), “sometimes” (yellow), or “rarely” (red) based on saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. Signage was added to indicate each item’s SWAP rank and healthier foods were placed at eye level. Client food baskets were assessed at time 1 (n = 121) and time 2 (n = 101). The proportions of green and red foods selected were compared using regression analyses. Results The regression analyses showed that the proportion of green foods selected by clients increased by 11% (p < 0.001) and the proportion of red foods selected decreased by 7% (p < 0.001) after SWAP was implemented (n = 222). Conclusions SWAP has the potential to positively shift client choices among the items available in a food pantry setting. SWAP is one component of a suite of changes to the charitable food system that have the potential to alleviate food insecurity, improve diet quality, and assist clients in managing diet-related diseases.

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0238 Campus Food Pantry Assistance is Related to Better Physical And Mental Health Through Adequate Sleep Among College Students in a Public University System

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.236 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A91-A92

Author(s):

S Martinez ◽

S Kalaydjian ◽

L Ritchie ◽

A Nazmi ◽

A Prather

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

General Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Family Income ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Student Health ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Food Pantries

Abstract Introduction Food insecurity is an issue among students in higher education and has been linked to insufficient sleep, and poor mental and general health. College campuses have quickly responded by establishing campus food pantries. However, the extent to which campus food pantries are ameliorating the impacts of food insecurity is unknown. Methods Online survey data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 1,855 students who were food pantry users in the 10-campus UC system. Students were asked to report their number of visits to a food pantry in the past month, and to rate their general health, depressive symptoms, and number of days of enough sleep (in a week) before and after food pantry access. Changes in days of enough sleep, depressive symptoms and general health were computed. Demographic characteristics were obtained from institutional data. Path analysis was used to examine direct and indirect pathways from food pantry use to depressive symptoms and general health through enough sleep days, controlling for workstudy receipt, Pell grant receipt and family income. Results Students on average were 21.7 years old (SD= 3.5), and had more days of adequate sleep (25%), and improved depressive symptoms (43%) and general health (31%) after obtaining services from a campus food pantry. An increase in monthly food pantry use was directly related to a decrease in depressive symptoms (β= 0.08, p<0.001) and an increase in general health (β= 0.07, p=0.001). Additionally, an increase in food pantry use related to an increase in getting more days of enough sleep (β=0.07, p=0.001), which in turn positively related to a decrease in depressive symptoms (β=0.18, p<0.001) and improved general health (β=0.24, p<0.001). Conclusion Food pantry use had a positive relationship with student health outcomes, and enough sleep days played an important mediating role. Findings suggest that emergency food access may have a positive impact on student health outcomes. Support This study was funded by the UC Campus Basic Needs Committees.

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Measurement of Fruit and Vegetable Intake Using Skin Carotenoid Measures Among Individuals Receiving Aid from Food Pantries (P04-087-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz051.p04-087-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Heather Valentine ◽

Rebecca Mount ◽

Kathryn Wolff ◽

Lisa Ousley ◽

Emily Worm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Kansas City ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Food Assistance ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Food Pantries

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to understand food security and fruit/vegetable consumption among individuals receiving aid from food pantries and other food assistance agencies. Methods Across the US, 12.9% of people are affected by food insecurity1 and 5.5% of households report obtaining food from a food pantry2. Similarly, food insecurity affects 12.9% of the population in Kansas and 14.7% in Missouri1. After the Harvest is a nonprofit organization that helps address food insecurity by rescuing fruits and vegetables from going to waste and donating them to agencies that serve hungry people in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As part of a larger evaluation of the After the Harvest program, intercept surveys with individuals receiving aid from food pantries and other food assistance agencies were conducted at selected locations in the Kansas City area. In each survey, a demographic questionnaire and a Dietary Screener Questionnaire were administered. Food insecurity was screened using two items derived from the USDA's Food Security Survey Module. Additionally, skin carotenoids were measured using the Veggie Meter™ as a biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake. Results A total of 57 food agency clients participated in the study. About 67% of the clients indicated that within the past 12 months, they had worried about their food running out before having money to buy more. Additionally, 74% reported that the food they bought didn't last and they didn't have money to buy more. On average, the food agency clients reported eating 1 cup of fruit per day and 1.4 cups of vegetables per day, which fell far below recommendations set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Similarly, they had a Veggie Meter™ score of 175 ± 77, indicating a very low level of fruit and vegetable intake. Conclusions Food agency clients were food insecure and had very low fruit and vegetable intakes. Efforts to increase the amount of fresh fruit and vegetable donations at food assistance agencies may represent an opportunity to improve the diets among clientele. Funding Sources The Hall Family Foundation.

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Outcomes of disease prevention and management interventions in food pantries and food banks: protocol for a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. e018022 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christopher R Long ◽

Brett Rowland ◽

Susan C Steelman ◽

Pearl A McElfish

Keyword(s):

Disease Prevention ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Great Promise ◽

Food Banks ◽

Food Bank ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Or Management ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Food Pantries

IntroductionFood insecurity is a difficulty faced in many households. During periods of food insecurity, households often seek food supplied by food pantries and food banks. Food insecurity has been associated with increased risk for several health conditions. For this reason, food pantries and food banks may have great promise as intervention sites, and health researchers have begun targeting food pantries and food banks as sites for disease prevention or management interventions. The aim of the scoping review is to examine disease prevention or management interventions implemented in food pantries and food banks.Methods and analysisRelevant electronic databases (eg, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature-CINAHL Complete, Science Citation Index, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) will be searched for articles with a publication date of 1997 or later using Medical Subject Headings and key terms, including food aid, food banks, food pantries, food shelves, hunger, food insecurity and related concepts. For each de-duplicated study record identified by the search strategy, two reviewers will independently assess whether the study meets eligibility criteria (eg, related to intervention type, context). The reviewers will examine studies’ titles, abstracts and full text, comparing eligibility decisions to address any discrepancies. For each eligible study, data extraction will be executed by two reviewers independently, comparing extracted data to address any discrepancies. Extracted data will be synthesised and reported in a narrative review assessing the coverage and gaps in existing literature related to disease prevention and management interventions implemented in food pantries.Ethics and disseminationThe review’s results will be useful to healthcare practitioners who work with food-insecure populations, healthcare researchers and food pantry or food bank personnel. The results of this scoping review will be submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal, and the authors will share the findings with food pantry and food bank stakeholder groups with whom they work.

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Choice Food Pantries in the Deep South: A Novel Approach to Addressing Food Insecurity in Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2795 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 773-773

Author(s):

David Buys ◽

Masey Smith ◽

Erin King

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Choice Model ◽

Grocery Stores ◽

Deep South ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Food Pantries ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Emergency Food Assistance

Abstract Older adults in the deep south are living with high food insecurity rates; this is exacerbated by challenges with rural-living, like transportation limitations and no grocery stores. To address this, we must increase emergency food assistance offerings and adopt best practices for food pantries including choice food pantry approaches, which empowers clients with some autonomy in choosing the foods they receive as part of their pantry distribution. Coalitions in eight income-limited, aging, rural Mississippi Delta counties received support from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant to enhance the food-related infrastructure in their communities through technical assistance and economic investments. A detailed process evaluation was conducted on this effort. Each coalition adopted food pantry-related policies like adding new food pantries and adapting their existing food pantries with the choice model. Both aging volunteers and clients indicated positive outcomes from the process of adding pantries and adapting existing ones.

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Use of Food Pantries is Associated with Household Food Insecurity in Ohio

Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition ◽

10.1080/19320240801891503 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 2 (2-3) ◽

pp. 93-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kelly E. O'Connell ◽

David H. Holben ◽

John P. Holcomb

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Food Pantries ◽

Household Food

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Efficacy of Augmented Food Pantry Services in Addressing Food Insecurity

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_122 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 271-271

Author(s):

Ronit Ridberg ◽

Morgan Smith ◽

Ronli Levi ◽

Elaine Waxman ◽

Hilary Seligman

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Food System ◽

Kidney Diseases ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Food Pantries ◽

Feeding America

Abstract Objectives Almost 1 in 9 Americans obtain food from a food bank or food pantry every year to help make ends meet. Despite this scope and scale, the efficacy of the charitable food system at alleviating food insecurity is still unclear. This study aimed to determine whether food distributed at food pantries as part of a comprehensive diabetes self-management support program, changed food security status for adults with diabetes. Methods This is a secondary, prespecified analysis of a larger randomized, controlled study (the FAITH-DM trial) conducted in 27 food pantries in Detroit MI; Houston, TX; and Oakland, CA (2015–2018). We screened 5329 adults for diabetes, and individually randomized 568 participants with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 7.5% or greater to an immediate 6-month intervention (including bimonthly food, diabetes education, health care referral and glucose monitoring) or to receive the intervention after a 6-month delay (cross-over design). For this analysis, primary outcome was food insecurity, measured at baseline, 6 months and 12 months, using the 10-item USDA food security modules scaled as a continuous Rasch score and then compared using difference-in-differences analyses. Results Participants were racially/ethnically diverse (51% Latino/Hispanic, 33% African American), with a mean age of 55 (range 23–86) and predominantly female (69%). In both trial phases, food security scores improved for individuals receiving the intervention and worsened for those not receiving the intervention. On a 12-point Rasch scale, differences between groups ranged from 0.627 points in Phase 1 (95% CI: –1.16, –0.099, P = .02) to 0.879 in Phase 2 (95% CI: –1.46, –0.303, P = 0.003). Conclusions Preliminary results of this cross-over design suggest a causal relationship between healthy food interventions at food banks and improving food security for adults with diabetes. Funding Sources Funding for the Feeding America Intervention Trial for Health—Diabetes Mellitus (FAITH-DM) was provided by Feeding America, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the Urban Institute via a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award P30DK092924, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under award 3U48DP004998–01S1. Support for RAR by HRSA QSCERT-PC Program (grant no. T32HP30037).

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Outcomes of disease prevention and management interventions in food pantries and food banks: a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029236 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. e029236 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christopher R Long ◽

Brett Rowland ◽

Susan C Steelman ◽

Pearl A McElfish

Keyword(s):

Disease Prevention ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Food Aid ◽

Food Banks ◽

Food Pantry ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Food Pantries

ObjectiveFood insecurity affects millions of Americans and is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. Food insecure individuals often obtain food from food pantries/banks, prompting health researchers to implement disease prevention/management interventions at these sites. This review examined the existing peer-reviewed research on disease prevention/management interventions implemented in food pantries/banks.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesDatabases searched included MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL and Cochrane. Search strategies included Medical Subject Headings and key terms, including food pantry, food bank, food shelf, food aid and related concepts.Eligibility criteriaStudies were included if they described an intervention involving food pantries/banks where at least one biometric indicator was included as an outcome variable. Articles focused solely on the quality of foods distributed, the diet quality of food pantry/bank clients or government food aid programmes were excluded.Data extraction and synthesisExtracted data included publication details, intervention type, study design, participant characteristics, study outcomes, and barriers and facilitators of intervention implementation.ResultsA total of 3317 articles were assessed for eligibility. Six studies met the predefined inclusion criteria. The studies employed a range of intervention approaches to manage or prevent a number of chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and HIV. The studies examined a range of biometric outcomes, including body mass index, glycated haemoglobin and blood pressure. Information about the food pantries/banks where the interventions were conducted was lacking. The studies documented multiple barriers and facilitators related to costs, sustainability and organisational capacity.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first review to examine disease prevention and management interventions conducted in food pantries and food banks. Given the high number of households who obtain food from food pantries/banks and the chronic health conditions associated with food insecurity, this review highlights the need for more high-quality research in this setting.

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The Food Pharmacy Network: An Alternative Method for Addressing Food Insecurity and an Assessment of Its Effectiveness (OR02-08-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz051.or02-08-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Emily Wang ◽

Abby Gilbert ◽

Anke Wessels

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

The United States ◽

Community Services ◽

Control Group ◽

Traditional Food ◽

Health Clinics ◽

Food Pantries ◽

Self Sufficiency ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objectives The number of food pantries in the U.S. has grown dramatically over 3 decades, yet food insecurity remains a persistent public health problem, consistently affecting 1 in 8 Americans. The goal of the study was to examine the impact of an intervention called The Food Pharmacy Network, designed to promote food security amongst patients of health clinics. The Food Pharmacy Network is an alliance of food pharmacies, hubs for free fresh produce within health clinics across the nation. The Network includes 15 member clinics from across the United States. While food pantries only provide food, each individual Food Pharmacy included a client-choice pantry, monthly meetings with a nutritionist or dietician to receive motivational interviewing, and targeted referrals to community services. Methods Control group participants went to traditional food pantries where they received bags of food. Using randomized parallel-group study with equal randomization, data were collected from September 2017 to September 2018; a total of 1028 adults were recruited over 1 year from traditional food pantries and randomized to the Food Pharmacy Network intervention (n = 513) or control group (n = 515), with quarterly follow-ups for 12 months. Data analyses were conducted from July 2018 to November 2018. Outcomes were food security, self-sufficiency, and fruit and vegetable consumption. Multivariate regression models were used to predict the three outcomes, controlling for age, gender, household size, income, and presence of children in the household. Results At baseline, half of the sample experienced very low food security. Over 1 year, Food Pharmacy Network patients were less than half as likely to experience very low food security, increased self-sufficiency by 5.2 points, and increased fruits and vegetables by 1.5 servings per day compared to the control group, all outcomes P < 0.01. Conclusions Our research demonstrates that Food Pharmacies are a more effective model to promote food security than short-term assistance through traditional food banks by addressing the underlying causes of poverty. The research provides convincing evidence of increased self-sufficiency and support for growth and scaling of the program to other areas. Funding Sources Rawlings Presidential Research Scholars Program. Public Service Center Scholars Program Clinton Global Initiative University

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Traumatic event exposure associated with increased food insecurity and eating disorder pathology

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980018001738 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (16) ◽

pp. 3058-3066 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carolyn Black Becker ◽

Keesha Middlemass ◽

Clara Johnson ◽

Brigitte Taylor ◽

Francesca Gomez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Low Income ◽

Traumatic Event ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Weight Stigma ◽

Food Pantries ◽

Traumatic Event Exposure

AbstractObjectiveThe primary aim was to investigate the association between food insecurity (FI) and eating disorders, which are nutrition-based public health problems, with traumatic event exposure in a low-income marginalized population. The study also investigated the association between traumatic event exposure, anxiety and weight stigma.DesignThe study used self-report surveys in a cross-sectional design.SettingFood pantries affiliated with the local food bank in a major US city.SubjectsParticipants (n 503) consisted of clients presenting to food pantries. Participants were predominantly female (76·5 %), Latino/Hispanic (64·6 %) and low-income (59 % reported earning under $US 10 000 per year).ResultsResults indicated that 55·7 % of participants had directly experienced a traumatic event; this increased to 61·6 % when witnessing was included. Higher levels of FI were associated with greater traumatic event exposure. Increased exposure to traumatic events correlated with worsened overall eating disorder pathology (r=−0·239), weight stigma (r=−0·151) and anxiety (r=−0·210).ConclusionsThe present study is the first to investigate the association of FI, eating disorders and trauma in a low-income marginalized population. Results indicate that exposure to traumatic events is common in this civilian population and that traumatic event exposure is associated with higher levels of FI and eating disorder pathology. Results indicate that further research is warranted given that traumatic event exposure, eating disorder pathology, weight stigma and anxiety may complicate effective delivery of public health interventions in those living with FI.

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