scholarly journals Eating rough: food sources and acquisition practices of homeless young people in Adelaide, South Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Booth
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Homeless Youth ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Food Acquisition ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Services ◽  
City Agencies

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the food sources and acquisition practices used by homeless youth in Adelaide. This work is part of a larger study that aimed to examine the extent and nature of food insecurity among homeless youth.DesignCross-sectional design involving quantitative and qualitative methods.SettingFour health and welfare inner-city agencies serving homeless youth in Adelaide, South Australia.SubjectsA sample of 150 homeless youth aged between 15 and 24 years recruited from these agencies. Fifteen were selected via snowball sampling for interview.ResultsUse of welfare food sources was high (63%). Food from welfare agencies was supplemented by unorthodox food acquisition methods such as theft (65%), begging for money for food (61%), begging for food items (44%) and asking for help from friends and relatives (34%). Reasons given for non-usage of welfare food services included affordability, access, being too busy, shame or embarrassment.ConclusionsFood insecurity is a salient issue for some homeless youth in Adelaide. Clarifying food acquisition practices of food-insecure homeless youth is essential for rational planning and improvement of food-related services to meet their needs. Such an understanding also underpins the development of broader public policy responses that improve individual and household skills and resources to acquire food and ensure food security. Nutrition professionals, welfare professionals and policy-makers need to work sensitively with welfare food agencies and others to improve food access and food security for homeless youth.

scholarly journals Acquisition, mobility, and food insecurity: Integrated food systems opportunities across urbanicity levels highlighted by COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Yeeli Mui ◽  
Gabby Headrick ◽  
Samina Raja ◽  
Anne Palmer ◽  
Johnathon P. Ehsani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Food Distribution ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Food Acquisition ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Objective: Investigate acquisition and mobility experiences of food-insecure individuals across urbanicity levels (i.e., urban, suburban, rural) in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional study using a nationally representative online panel to measure where food-insecure individuals acquired food, food acquisition barriers, and mobility to food sources, which were evaluated across urbanicity levels using chi-squared tests and 95% CIs. Setting: United States Participants: 2,011 adults (18 years or older) Results: Food insecurity impacted 62.3% of adults in urban areas, 40.5% in rural areas, and 36.7% in suburban areas (p<0.001). Food acquisition barriers that were significantly more prevalent among food-insecure adults in urban areas were a change in employment status (34.2%; 95% CI = 27.2%, 41.1%; p<0.0001) and limited availability of food in retailers (38.8%; 95% CI = 31.7%, 45.9%; p<0.001). In rural areas, food-insecure adults primarily acquired food for the household from supercenters (61.5%; 95% CI = 50.4%, 72.5%; p<0.05), while locally sourced foods were less common among food-insecure adults in rural areas (6.9%; 95% CI = 0.01%, 13.0%) compared to urban areas (19.8%; 95% CI = 14.3%, 25.4%; p<0.01). Transportation as a barrier did not vary significantly by urbanicity, but food-insecure adults across urbanicity levels reported utilizing a range of transportations modes to acquire food. Conclusions: A planning approach that links urban and rural areas could address food insecurity by enhancing the integration of food production, transportation, and food distribution, building toward a more resilient and equitable food system for all Americans.

scholarly journals Characteristics associated with changes in food security status among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Soldavini ◽  
Hazael Andrew ◽  
Maureen Berner
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Food Security Status ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Security Module ◽  
Adult Food

Abstract The prevalence of food insecurity in the USA has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, past studies have not examined how the food security status of college students has been impacted. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the prevalence of food insecurity; determine the proportion of students experiencing a change in food security status; and identify characteristics associated with changes in food security status from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of college students. We administered a cross-sectional online survey to students from a large public university in the Southeastern USA. The 10-item U.S. Adult Food Security Module was used to assess food security status during the spring 2020 semester both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and students self-reported a variety of individual characteristics. The overall prevalence of food insecurity increased by approximately one-third during the spring 2020 semester from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. When examining the types of changes in food security status experienced by students, 12% improved, 68% stayed the same, and 20% worsened. A variety of characteristics were associated with an improvement or worsening of food security status category from before to during the pandemic. Similar to what is seen in other reports, we found that the overall proportion of college students in our sample experiencing food insecurity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, some students showed improvements in food security status. Approaches for addressing food insecurity during and beyond the pandemic are needed.

scholarly journals Enhancing Social Support System for Improving Food Security Among the Elderly Headed Household in Communal Areas of Zimbabwe

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kefasi Nyikahadzoi ◽  
Byron Zamasiya ◽  
George Alex Muchinako ◽  
Charles Dziro
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Communal Areas ◽  
Food Insecurity Access

The study sought to establish factors that contribute towards food security among elderly headed households and then seek ways of enhancing them. The study was conducted in Mudzi District in Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe. Data was collected from wards 11, 12 and 16. The study used cross sectional household data collected using a structured questionnaire. Two measures of food security are used; namely household food insecurity access score and household dietary diversity score. The results showed that food insecurity access score was statistically higher for elderly headed household when compared to those headed by younger people. The study revealed that social capital, remittances, and off farm income generating projects can increase the elderly headed household’s likelihood of being food secure. The study also showed that public assistance is not making a positive contribution towards food security of elderly headed household. This paper argues that it is important for government and civil society to promote social capital and support channels of remittances to elderly headed households in communal areas.

scholarly journals Exploring the Impact of Crises on Food Security in Lebanon: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8753
Author(s):  
Maha Hoteit ◽  
Youssef Al-Atat ◽  
Hussein Joumaa ◽  
Suheir El Ghali ◽  
Rania Mansour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The People ◽  
Food Consumption Score ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to explore the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among Lebanese households since the ordeals of COVID-19, economic crisis, and Beirut port explosions. At the core of the study, a mobile application entitled Nutrition Assessment System (NAS) that simplified the data collection was used as toolkit and a technical test was carried out in all Lebanese governorates between November 2020 and March 2021. Findings show that food insecurity is an immediate problem for households in Beirut and in many governorates in Lebanon. Nine in every 16 households ate less than 2 meals per day and more than 70% of them skipped their meals to spare food. Even though half the population studied had a low food consumption score, 82.4% of the people were not relying on livelihood coping strategies. However, more than three out of ten of these households relied on at least three food-based coping strategies. In addition, as for the livelihoods, this assessment found that most Lebanese households reported a drop in income along with an expansion in debt incurrence in the last 24 months to be able to buy food. Improving food security in Lebanon requires effort not only on the part of the government, but through regional and international actions.

Abstract P317: An Activity Space Approach to Assessing the Food Environments of Food Secure and Insecure Women

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilana G Raskind ◽  
Michelle C Kegler ◽  
Michael R Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Activity Space ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Spatial Mobility ◽  
Activity Spaces ◽  
Food Security Status ◽  
Space Approach

Introduction: Community food environments (FE) are an important correlate of diet- and weight-related CV health. Conventional approaches to measuring the FE focus on residential neighborhoods, and do not assess the full extent of food sources regularly encountered and used. Further, little attention has been given to how individual diet-related experiences, like food insecurity, may interact with features of the FE to affect health. To address these limitations, we use an activity space approach, defined by the locations women routinely visit, to measure FE exposure and use, and assess differences by food security status. Hypothesis: Food-related spatial behavior and features of the FE differ between a) conventional and activity space definitions, and b) food secure and insecure women. Methods: We present initial results (n=51) from an ongoing clinic-based study of low-income African American women in Atlanta, GA. Data are collected in-person using a Google Map-powered activity space questionnaire. USDA’s 10-item adult scale is used to measure food insecurity. Retail FE data are from Dun & Bradstreet. ArcGIS 10.5 was used to define three environments: residential census tract (CT), and convex hull polygons of overall and food-specific activity spaces. We tested differences, by food security status, in mean behaviors and FE features with one-way ANOVAs. Results: Eighty-eight percent of women were food insecure. Food insecure women were lower income, less often employed, and less often had access to a car. CTs contained fewer supermarkets (μ=1.2 SD =1.4) and fast food restaurants (μ=3.9 SD =3.2) than activity spaces (μ=7.9 SD =7.0; μ=55.5 SD =44.1, respectively). On average, 6.7% ( SD =13.5) of utilized food sources fell within CT bounds, while 53.4% ( SD =35.5) fell within activity spaces. Compared to food secure women, food insecure women had smaller overall (μ=329.8km 2 SD =340.4 vs. μ=548.3km 2 SD =422.4; p =0.16) and food-specific (μ=48.1km 2 SD =74.3 vs. μ=85.6km 2 SD =106.4; p =0.28) activity spaces, and a smaller proportion of their utilized supermarkets fell within their activity spaces (μ=60.9% SD =42.4 vs. μ=81.9% SD =21.4; p =0.24). FE features did not differ by food security status. Conclusions: Conventional FE definitions likely underestimate the number of food sources women encounter, and do not capture the majority of sources used. Smaller activity spaces among food insecure women suggest that routine spatial mobility may be constrained by factors like transportation access. Still, food insecure women more often traveled outside of their activity spaces to utilize supermarkets, suggesting a dual burden of constrained spatial mobility and access. Interestingly, FE features did not differ by food security status. In planned future analyses, any observed differences in diet and weight may indicate variation in how women interact with the FE, rather than differences in exposure.

scholarly journals Elderly Perception of Distance to the Grocery Store as a Reason for Feeling Food Insecurity—Can Food Policy Limit This?

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3191
Author(s):  
Robert Gajda ◽  
Marzena Jeżewska-Zychowicz
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Food Purchase

The sense of food insecurity in a group of elderly people may be determined by the perception of distance to food outlets. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the perception of food insecurity by the elderly and their perception of the distance between the places of residence and food purchase. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was carried out in 2019–2020 amongst 762 Polish elderly living in Świętokrzyskie and Śląskie Voivodeship. The assessment of the relationships between the perceived food insecurity due to living too far away from the grocery shops and socio-demographic features was performed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), chi-square tests, and Phi and Cramér’s V coefficients. Too great a distance to the place of food purchase was the cause of a lack of a sense of food security in 20.5% of the study sample, especially in men, people aged 75 and more, people living in a rural environment and people living alone. People reporting a lack of food due to the distance to the place of purchase showed socio-demographic characteristics similar to those of people declaring a lack of a sense of food security. Reduced food consumption due to the distance from the place of sale, including of fish (24.8%), some fruits (18.9%) and vegetables (15.4%) and beef (17.3%), may contribute to the deterioration of the diet and, as a result, health conditions. Including access to places of the sale of food in food policy as a factor contributing to ensuring the food security of older people can help to maintain a better quality of life and avoid exclusion. Especially in a situation of limited independence, food insecurity in elders due to causes other than financial limitations should be a focus of food policy.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in the Association Between Food Insecurity and Obesity Among College Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 181-181
Author(s):  
Aseel El Zein ◽  
Karla Shelnutt ◽  
Sarah Colby ◽  
Geoffrey Greene ◽  
Wenjun Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
High Food ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to assess the association between food insecurity and obesity and to examine whether it varies by sex. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in spring 2017 among college students from eight U.S. institutions. Participants (n = 683) completed the USDA Adult Food Security Survey and had their weight and height measured by researchers. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the sex-specific associations between food insecurity and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), after adjusting for socioeconomic covariates. Results Overall, 25.4% of students identified as food insecure and 10.5% were obese. The prevalence of obesity increased as the level of food insecurity increased, from 5.2% for those with high food security, 13.4% for those with marginal food security, to 17.4% and 21.6% for students with low and very low food security. In logistic regression analysis, marginal, low and very low food security students had an odds ratio of 2.83 (95% CI: 1.43, 5.57), 3.86 (95% CI: 1.88, 7.91), and 5.05 (95% CI:, 2.44, 10.48) of obesity compared to students with high food security, exhibiting a dose-response relationship. Among females, having marginal (OR = 4.21, 95% CI: 1.70, 9.75), low (OR = 4.51, 95% CI: 1.40, 12.47), or very low food security (OR = 7.08, 95% CI: 2.60, 18.41) predicted higher odds of obesity compared to female students with high food security. Among males, those with low food security had higher odds of obesity (OR = 6.40, 95% CI: 1.78, 20.7). Conclusions The association between food insecurity and obesity in U.S. college students remained after adjustment for multiple socio-economic factors. Overall, food insecure females experienced an increase in the risk of obesity as food insecurity increased; however, only males with low food security had an increased risk of obesity. Programs directed toward obesity prevention need to address any level of food insecurity as a risk factor in females, and target males with low food security. Although beyond the scope of this study, it is possible that programs to reduce food insecurity may help prevent obesity in college students. Funding Sources This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2014–67,001-21,851.

scholarly journals Self-Reported Food Insecurity and Depression among the Older Population in South Africa

Psych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghose Bishwajit ◽  
Komlan Kota ◽  
Amos Buh ◽  
Sanni Yaya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Multivariable Regression

South Africa represents one of the most rapidly aging countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a rising burden of age-related psychological morbidities. Despite having one of the highest human development scores in the region, the country faces serious poverty and food insecurity related challenges. Previous studies have shown a positive association between food insecurity and poor mental health among the adult population, however there is no systematic evidence on this association among the elderly population in an African setting. In the present study, we aimed to address this research gap by analyzing cross-sectional data (n = 931) on the over-50 population (>50 years) from the SAGE (Study on global AGEing and adult health) Well-Being of Older People Study (WOPS) of the World Health Organization, conducted between 2010 and 2013. The outcome variable was perceived depression and the explanatory variables included several sociodemographic factors including self-reported food insecurity. The independent associations between the outcome and explanatory variables were measured using multivariable regression analysis. Results showed that close to a quarter of the population (22.6%, 95% CI = 21.4, 24.7) reported having depression in the last 12 months, with the percentage being markedly higher among women (71.4%). In the multivariable regression analysis, self-reported food insecurity was found to be the strongest predictor of depression among both sexes. For instance, severe food insecurity increased the odds of depression by 4.805 [3.325, 7.911] times among men and by 4.115 [2.030, 8.341] times among women. Based on the present findings, it is suggested that national food security programs focus on promoting food security among the elderly population in an effort to improve their mental health status. Nonetheless, the data were cross-sectional and the associations can’t imply causality.

scholarly journals The assessment of food security in homeless individuals: a comparison of the Food Security Survey Module and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 2254-2259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C Holland ◽  
Matthew C Kennedy ◽  
Stephen W Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Homeless Population ◽  
Household Food Insecurity ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Household Food ◽  
The Us ◽  
Food Insecurity Access

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), the US Food Security Survey Module (US FSSM) and a modified version of the US FSSM in which references to buying food were changed to references to getting food, in terms of their classification of food security levels among homeless individuals, and to determine which of these instruments was most preferred by homeless individuals.DesignA cross-sectional survey.SettingRecruitment of participants took place at seven shelters and from three drop-in programmes that serve homeless individuals in Toronto, Canada.SubjectsFifty individuals who were ≥18 years of age, able to communicate in English and currently homeless.ResultsThe modified US FSSM assigned 20 % of participants to a lower ordinal food security category compared with the US FSSM, and only 8 % to a higher food security category. The HFIAS assigned 30 % of participants to a lower food security category compared with either the US FSSM or the modified US FSSM, and only 10–16 % of participants to a higher food security category. When asked to compare all three instruments, the majority of respondents (62 %) selected the HFIAS as the best instrument for people who are homeless.ConclusionsA majority of homeless individuals selected the HFIAS as the best food security instrument for people who are homeless. Our findings suggest that the HFIAS is a more appropriate instrument than the US FSSM for measuring food security in the homeless population.

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