scholarly journals Barriers to Preparing and Cooking Vegetables Are Associated with Decreased Home Availability of Vegetables in Low-Income Households

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Landry ◽  
Marissa Burgermaster ◽  
Alexandra E. van den Berg ◽  
Fiona M. Asigbee ◽  
Sarvenaz Vandyousefi ◽  
...  

Knowing which barriers to buying and preparing/cooking vegetables at home are linked with the home availability of vegetables and how food-security status impacts this relationship will facilitate the tailoring of future public health interventions. Baseline data were used from an elementary-school-based intervention. Data on household food-security status, availability of vegetables at home, and barriers to buying and preparing/cooking vegetables were collected from 1942 parents. Differences between food-secure and food-insecure households were examined for barriers to buying and preparing/cooking vegetables. Mixed-effects linear regression was used to estimate the associations between barriers to buying and preparing/cooking vegetables and food-security status on the home availability of vegetables. Food insecurity was reported in 27% of households. Food-insecure households were significantly more likely to report barriers to buying and preparing/cooking vegetables. The barriers to purchasing/cooking vegetables score was associated with a decrease in the home availability of vegetables score (β = −0.77; 95% CI: −0.88, −0.65; p < 0.001). Compared to food-secure households, food-insecure households were 15% less likely to have home vegetable availability (β = −1.18; 95% CI: −1.45, −0.92; p < 0.001). Although home availability of vegetables does not guarantee consumption, this study identified specific barriers that were associated with availability that can be targeted in future interventions seeking to improve vegetable consumption in the homes of low-income families.

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 807-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle L Nunnery ◽  
Jeffrey D Labban ◽  
Jigna M Dharod

AbstractObjectiveTo (i) determine differences in the availability of variety of fruits and vegetables (F&V) at home by food security status; and (ii) examine the inter-associations between food security status, availability of variety of F&V at home and frequency of F&V intake, among low-income pregnant women.Design/SettingParticipants were interviewed to collect food security status, home availability of variety of F&V and frequency of F&V intake. Bivariate analyses, multivariate regression and exploratory mediation analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0 and the PROCESS macro.SubjectsLow-income pregnant women (n 198) were interviewed if they were ≥18 years of age, in the second trimester of pregnancy, and spoke English or Spanish.ResultsLow/very low food security was found among 43 % of participants. Compared with fully food-secure participants, very low food-secure participants reported a lower variety of fruits (P=0·028) and vegetables (P=0·058) available at home. Mediation analyses indicated that through home availability of variety of fresh F&V, food security status was associated with the daily intake of F&V (indirect effect (95 % CI): fresh fruits, −0·039 (−0·074, −0·013); fresh vegetables, −0·048 (−0·083, −0·023)). As food security worsened, the available variety of fresh F&V decreased, which was associated with lower intake.ConclusionsThe study highlights the interlink between food security, home food environment and diet quality, and the importance of nutrition education intervention to promote a healthy home food environment and improved pregnancy outcomes among low-income women.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-240
Author(s):  
Isabel Cristina BENTO ◽  
Fernanda Martins SOBRINHO ◽  
Mery Natali Silva ABREU ◽  
Maria Flávia GAZZINELLI ◽  
Simone Cardoso Lisboa PEREIRA

Objective: To verify whether what users of soup kitchens in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, think about a healthy diet and the challenges they face to eat healthy are associated with their household food security status. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,656 users of soup kitchens in Belo Horizonte. Socioeconomic and household food security data, and healthy-eating discourses were collected by a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were submitted to descriptive analyses for constructing frequency distribution tables, and to univariate analysis. Discourse analysis was based on the social representation theory. Results: To cut, reduce, avoid, not eat, eat less, and decrease carbohydrates, salt, meats, various beverages, and other foods are the most frequent changes (71.4%) that food-secure users have made or intend to make. Food-insecure users intended to eat more fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and other foods (34.4%). The main obstacles food-secure and food-insecure users face to adopt a healthier diet are lack of time (82.9%) and low income (53.5%), respectively (p<0.001). Conclusion: What users of soup kitchens in Belo Horizonte think about food and the obstacles they face to adopt a healthier diet are related to their household food security status. The results provide valuable data for effective proposals of food and nutrition education, which should act on the producers of subjectivity in this group and consider this group's food and nutrition security status.


2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1609-1613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assieh Mohammadzadeh ◽  
Ahmadreza Dorosty ◽  
Mohammadreza Eshraghian

AbstractObjectiveThe present study was designed to determine household food security status and factors associated with food insecurity among high-school students in Esfahan, Iran.DesignCross-sectional surveys.SettingThe present study was conducted in autumn 2008 in Esfahan, Iran. The samples were selected using systematic cluster sampling. Socio-economic questionnaires, food security questionnaires and FFQ were filled out during face-to-face interviews. In addition, data on participants’ weights and heights were collected.SubjectsA total of 580 students (261 boys and 319 girls) aged 14–17 years from forty high schools in Esfahan, Iran, were selected.ResultsThe prevalence of household food insecurity according to the US Department of Agriculture food security questionnaire was 36·6 % (95 % CI 0·33, 0·40). Food insecurity was positively associated with number of members in the household (P < 0·05) and negatively associated with parental education level and job status and household economic status (P < 0·05). Moreover, students living in food-insecure households more frequently consumed bread, macaroni, potato and egg (P < 0·05), while they less frequently consumed rice, red meat, sausage and hamburger, poultry, fish, green vegetables, root and bulb (coloured) vegetables, melons, apples and oranges, milk and yoghurt (P < 0·05).ConclusionsFood insecurity was prevalent among households in Esfahan, Iran, and food security status was associated with socio-economic factors. Students who belonged to food-secure households more frequently consumed healthy foods (except sausage and hamburger), whereas those living in food-insecure households more frequently consumed cheap foods containing high energy per kilogram. The present study suggests that intervention programmes be designed and carried out.


2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (11) ◽  
pp. 1760-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras ◽  
Rachel Colchamiro ◽  
Sari Edelstein ◽  
Elizabeth Siu

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (47) ◽  
pp. 115-131
Author(s):  
Thecla Iheoma Akukwe ◽  
Alice Atieno Oluoko-Odingo ◽  
George Okoye Krhoda

AbstractA comparative study of pre- and post-flood households’ food security statuses in South-Eastern Nigeria was performed to answer the question “Do floods affect food security?” Data were generated via a survey of 400 households in eight communities using stratified and random sampling methods. Households’ food security statuses were assessed using the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and computed using a Rasch analysis, where households were divided into four categories, namely: food secure, food insecure without hunger, moderately food insecure with hunger and severely food insecure with hunger. The results show that flooding affects food security negatively by increasing the number of food insecure households to 92.8%, and the regression coefficient of −0.798 indicates a very strong negative effect of flooding on household food security. An odds ratio of 2.221 implies that households that have experienced flooding are 2.221 times more probable to be food insecure than households that have not. The implication of the findings is that flooding is capable of turning communities into food insecurity hotspots that would need long-term assistance to cope, and flooding is capable of hampering the achievement of Goal 2 of the SDGs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally G. Eagleton ◽  
Jennifer L. Temple ◽  
Kathleen L. Keller ◽  
Michele E. Marini ◽  
Jennifer S. Savage

The relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food measures how hard someone will work for a high-energy-dense (HED) food when an alternative reward is concurrently available. Higher RRV for HED food has been linked to obesity, yet this association has not been examined in low-income preschool-age children. Further, the development of individual differences in the RRV of food in early childhood is poorly understood. This cross-sectional study tested the hypothesis that the RRV of HED (cookies) to low-energy-dense (LED; fruit) food would be greater in children with obesity compared to children without obesity in a sample of 130 low-income 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in Head Start classrooms in Central Pennsylvania. In addition, we examined individual differences in the RRV of food by child characteristics (i.e., age, sex, and reward sensitivity) and food security status. The RRV of food was measured on concurrent progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement. RRV outcomes included the last schedule reached (breakpoint) for cookies (cookie Pmax) and fruit (fruit Pmax), the breakpoint for cookies in proportion to the total breakpoint for cookies and fruit combined (RRV cookie), and response rates (responses per minute). Parents completed the 18-item food security module to assess household food security status and the Behavioral Activation System scale to assess reward sensitivity. Pearson’s correlations and mixed models assessed associations between continuous and discrete child characteristics with RRV outcomes, respectively. Two-way mixed effects interaction models examined age and sex as moderators of the association between RRV and Body Mass Index z-scores (BMIZ). Statistical significance was defined as p &lt; 0.05. Children with obesity (17%) had a greater cookie Pmax [F (1, 121) = 4.95, p = 0.03], higher RRV cookie [F (1, 121) = 4.28, p = 0.04], and responded at a faster rate for cookies [F (1, 121) = 17.27, p &lt; 0.001] compared to children without obesity. Children with higher cookie response rates had higher BMIZ (r = 0.26, p &lt; 0.01); and RRV cookie was positively associated with BMIZ for older children (5-year-olds: t = 2.40, p = 0.02) and boys (t = 2.55, p = 0.01), but not younger children or girls. The RRV of food did not differ by household food security status. Low-income children with obesity showed greater motivation to work for cookies than fruit compared to their peers without obesity. The RRV of HED food may be an important contributor to increased weight status in boys and future research is needed to better understand developmental trajectories of the RRV of food across childhood.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 204-204
Author(s):  
Laura Hopkins ◽  
Cara Pannell ◽  
Carolyn Gunther

Abstract Objectives Explore the relationship between attendance at USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites and baseline household food security status. Methods Two elementary schools in low-income urban neighborhoods of Columbus, OH were recruited. Families with children at these schools in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth were invited to participate. Caregivers completed a demographic survey at the end of school year 1 (baseline [t0]). Household food security was assessed at t0 using the USDA 6-item Short Form Food Security Module and based on responses participants were categorized as living in high marginal food security (HMFS), low food security (LFS), or very low food security (VLFS) households. Child attendance at USDA SFSP sites was collected via weekly text messages to caregivers using the online TextIt© platform. ANOVA was conducted to determine differences in attendance level by household food security status. Results 113 children representing 78 families enrolled. Mean age was 7.10 ± 0.21 yr, 79.65% were African American, 72.73% were low-income, and mean annual income was $28,222. Approximately 27% of families (n = 21) reported living in LFS (n = 10, 14.82%) or VLFS (n = 11, 12.10%) households. Overall mean attendance at summer programming was 10.40 ± 1.43 days (out of 50 possible days) and attendance by household food security status was 10.51 ± 1.61 (HMFS), 19.00 ± 6.15 (LFS), and 5.70 ± 2.85 (VLFS) days with a significant difference (P = 0.04) between LFS and VLFS households. Conclusions Children in VLFS (vs HMFS and LFS) households, who are at increased risk for hunger during the summertime window of risk, are attending sites offering the USDA SFSP least frequently. Future research and programmatic efforts should be targeted at children from the most vulnerable households to ensure food security during the summertime window of risk. Funding Sources USDA NC-NECE.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Benjamin-Neelon ◽  
Moira Differding ◽  
Noel Mueller

Abstract Objectives Infancy represents a critical period for growth and development. Food insecurity (defined as the limited availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods) in early life may have both immediate and long-term health implications. Some limited evidence suggests that food insecurity in adults may influence the gut microbiota composition, perhaps through a lack of dietary diversity. A number of studies also link malnutrition with alterations in the gut microbiota in children. However, associations between food insecurity and the gut microbiota have yet to be explored in children and especially in infants, who may have had little exposure to foods other than human milk and formula. Methods Participants were from the Nurture study, a birth cohort of predominately black women and their infants residing in the southeastern United States. We collected stool samples from 68 infants 3 months after birth. Our exposure was household food security status assessed when infants were between 2 and 3 months. We used the US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form. We grouped scores of 0–1 (full or marginal food security) as food secure and 2–6 (low or very low food security) as food insecure, consistent with prior studies. For the 3-month outcome, we used an Illumina MiSeq to conduct paired-end sequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 region. We used beta-binomial regression to determine differential abundance of microbiota according to food security status. Two-sided FDR corrected P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. We adjusted for delivery method (C-section versus vaginal), breastfeeding (never versus any), and timing of introduction to solid foods (at or before 3 months versus after 3 months of age). Results Demographic characteristics of mothers and infants from food insecure households (n = 20) resembled those from food secure households (n = 45). The relative abundance of 16 microbial amplicon sequence variants were lower in food insecure infants, and 3 microbial amplicon sequence variants were higher in food secure infants (Figure). Conclusions Findings from our birth cohort suggest that infants from food insecure households had altered gut microbiota composition at 3 months of age. Future research is warranted to provide mechanistic insight into these potentially novel associations. Funding Sources NIDDK, National Institutes of Health. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 1813-1828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiying Ling ◽  
Lorraine B. Robbins ◽  
Dongjuan Xu

This cross-sectional study among low-income mother-child dyads examined the relationship between food security status and hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and how mother and child food security status was interactively related to mothers’ perceived distress and coping. Data from 32 dyads were analyzed. Approximately 46.9% had household food insecurity, 37.5% children had food insecurity, and 34.4% mothers had food insecurity. Children with food insecurity had significantly higher HCC than those with food security. A significant interaction effect occurred between child food security status and race on children’s HCC, with White children’s HCC being more likely to be influenced by food security status. Mother food security and child food security status together explained about 6% of the variance in mothers’ HCC, 27% in perceived distress, and 18% in perceived coping. These findings indicate that assisting low-income families with food insecurity to get enough food can benefit both children’s and mothers’ mental health.


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