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Leslie IS, Carson J, Bruce A. LGBTQ+ food insufficiency in New England. AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES 2022; 40:1-16. [PMID: 36530207 PMCID: PMC9735207 DOI: 10.1007/s10460-022-10403-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As a group, LGBTQ+ people experience food insecurity at a disproportionately high rate, yet food security scholars and practitioners are only beginning to uncover patterns in how food insecurity varies by subgroups of this diverse community. In this paper, we use data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey-which added measures of gender identity and sexuality for the first time in 2021-to analyze New Englanders' food insufficiency rates by gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. We find that (1) in the past seven days, 13.0 percent of LGB + (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual) New Englanders experience food insufficiency-which is nearly twice the rate of heterosexual people-and 19.8 percent of transgender+ (transgender, genderqueer, gender non-binary, and other non-cisgender people) New Englanders experience food insufficiency-which is two to three times the rate of cisgender men and women. (2) Whereas cisgender New Englanders experience food insufficiency at a lower rate than their counterparts in the rest of the nation (about two percentage points lower for both cisgender men and women), transgender+ New Englanders experience no such New England advantage compared to transgender+ people in the country as a whole. (3) LGBTQ+ New Englanders of color experience devastatingly high rates of food insufficiency, with, for example, one in three Black transgender+ New Englanders not having enough food to eat in the past seven days. These findings suggest that addressing food insecurity in New England demands approaching the problem with an intersectional queer lens, with attention to the ways in which racism, cissexism, and heterosexism are creating a systemic, ongoing food crisis for LGBTQ+ New Englanders, especially those who are transgender+ and/or people of color.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Sohn Leslie
- University of Vermont Extension, 130 Austine Dr. #300, Brattleboro, VT 05301 USA
| | - Jessica Carson
- Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire, 73 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824 USA
| | - Analena Bruce
- Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, 129 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824 USA
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Landry MJ, Phan K, McGuirt JT, Ostrander A, Ademu L, Seibold M, McCallops K, Tracy T, Fleischhacker SE, Karpyn A. USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Vendor Criteria: An Examination of US Administrative Agency Variations. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:3545. [PMID: 33805495 PMCID: PMC8037245 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18073545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The food retail environment has been directly linked to disparities in dietary behaviors and may in part explain racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, is associated with improved healthy food and beverage access due to its requirement for minimum stock of healthy foods and beverages in WIC-eligible stores. The selection and authorization criteria used to authorize WIC vendors varies widely from state to state with little known about the specific variations. This paper reviews and summarizes the differences across 16 of these criteria enacted by 89 WIC administrative agencies: the 50 states, the District of Columbia, five US Territories, and 33 Indian Tribal Organizations. Vendor selection and authorization criteria varied across WIC agencies without any consistent pattern. The wide variations in criteria and policies raise questions about the rational for inconsistency. Some of these variations, in combination, may result in reduced access to WIC-approved foods and beverages by WIC participants. For example, minimum square footage and/or number of cash register criteria may limit vendors to larger retail operations that are not typically located in high-risk, under-resourced communities where WIC vendors are most needed. Results highlight an opportunity to convene WIC stakeholders to review variations, their rationale, and implications thereof especially as this process could result in improved policies to ensure and improve healthy food and beverage access by WIC participants. More work remains to better understand the value of state WIC vendor authorization authority, particularly in states that have provided stronger monitoring requirements. This work might also examine if and how streamlining WIC vendor criteria (or at least certain components of them) across regional areas or across the country could provide an opportunity to advance interstate commerce and promote an equitable supply of food across the food system, while ensuring the protection for local, community-oriented WIC vendors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Landry
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA;
| | - Kim Phan
- Harvard College, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
| | - Jared T. McGuirt
- Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA;
| | - Alek Ostrander
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Lilian Ademu
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA;
| | - Mia Seibold
- Center for Research in Education & Social Policy, College of Education & Human Development, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; (M.S.); (K.M.); (T.T.)
| | - Kathleen McCallops
- Center for Research in Education & Social Policy, College of Education & Human Development, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; (M.S.); (K.M.); (T.T.)
| | - Tara Tracy
- Center for Research in Education & Social Policy, College of Education & Human Development, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; (M.S.); (K.M.); (T.T.)
| | | | - Allison Karpyn
- Center for Research in Education & Social Policy, College of Education & Human Development, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; (M.S.); (K.M.); (T.T.)
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Zhang Q, Alsuliman MA, Wright M, Wang Y, Cheng X. Fruit and Vegetable Purchases and Consumption among WIC Participants after the 2009 WIC Food Package Revision: A Systematic Review. Adv Nutr 2020; 11:1646-1662. [PMID: 32452523 PMCID: PMC7666910 DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmaa060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To promote fruit and vegetable (FV) intake among participants, the USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) implemented a comprehensive food package revision in 2009. However, to our knowledge, no studies have systematically explored the factors related to FV purchases and/or consumption among WIC participants in the post-2009 revision era. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic literature review using PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science using key search terms. Studies published from January 1, 2007, through February 28, 2019, were included, since an interim rule for the WIC food package revision was issued in 2007. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses format. The articles were grouped based on main themes or factors, settings, design, study years, and sample size. Thirty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria. Seven main themes or factors related to FV purchases and/or consumption in WIC participants were identified in these articles. The 2009 WIC food package revision was the most-studied factor (n = 9). National and state-level studies showed a consistently positive relation between the 2009 revision and FV purchases and/or consumption. However, some studies did not find a positive relation. State-level policy variations can be exploited as natural experiments to assess the causality of state-level factors in WIC participants' FV purchases or consumption. The majority of the included studies were limited in being local (n = 26, 66.7%), cross-sectional (n = 29, 74.4%), or having sample sizes <1000 (n = 25, 64.1%), which could explain the diverse results regarding the relation between FV purchases and/or consumption and various factors, including individual, store, and program characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhang
- School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Mohammed A Alsuliman
- School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Mia Wright
- School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
| | - Youfa Wang
- Fisher Institute of Health and Well-being, Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, College of Health, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
| | - Xinzhe Cheng
- Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, USA
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Garner JA, Coombs C, Savoie-Roskos MR, Durward C, Seguin-Fowler RA. A Qualitative Evaluation of Double Up Food Bucks Farmers' Market Incentive Program Access. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 52:705-712. [PMID: 31924558 PMCID: PMC7338242 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Explore factors affecting access to and use of Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), a farmers' market program that doubles Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for use toward the purchase of fruits and vegetables (FV). DESIGN Focus groups. SETTING Metro and nonmetro counties in Utah and western Upstate New York. PARTICIPANTS Nine groups composed of 62 low-income adults (3-9/group). PHENOMENA OF INTEREST Satisfaction with, barriers to, and facilitators of program use; suggestions for improvement. ANALYSIS Transcribed verbatim and coded thematically in NVivo 11 software according to template analysis. RESULTS Program satisfaction was high and driven by FV affordability, perceived support of local farmers, positive market experiences, and high-quality FV. Primary barriers to using DUFB were lack of program information and inconvenient accessibility. Insufficient program communication was a consistent problem that elicited numerous suggestions regarding expansion of program marketing. Emergent topics included issues related to the token-based administration of DUFB and debate regarding stigma experienced during DUFB participation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Results suggest that although DUFB elicits many points of satisfaction among users, program reach may be limited owing to insufficient program marketing. Even among satisfied users, discussion of barriers was extensive, indicating that program reach and impact may be bolstered by efforts to improve program accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Garner
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
| | - Casey Coombs
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Utah State University, Logan, UT
| | | | - Carrie Durward
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Utah State University, Logan, UT
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Hsiao BS, Sibeko L, Troy LM. A Systematic Review of Mobile Produce Markets: Facilitators and Barriers to Use, and Associations with Reported Fruit and Vegetable Intake. J Acad Nutr Diet 2019; 119:76-97.e1. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2018.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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