The Association between Diet Quality and Health Status in Mobile Food Pantry Users in Northeastern Connecticut

Food Resource Management and Healthy Eating Focus Associates with Diet Quality and Health Behaviors in Low-Income Adults

Nutrition education and food resource management (FRM) can assist food-insecure individuals in acquiring healthy and affordable food. We aimed to assess the relationships between FRM skills and healthy eating focus with diet quality and health-related behaviors in low-income adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey of 276 low-income adults living in a low-food-access community in Northeast Connecticut. Through analysis of covariance, adults who usually or always had a meal plan, considered reading nutrition labels important, made a grocery list, were concerned about their food healthiness, and rated their diet quality as very good/excellent reported higher diet quality (frequency-based and liking-based scores) (p < 0.05 for all). Individuals who considered reading food labels very important and reported having a good diet reported less frequent pandemic-related unhealthy behaviors (consumption of candy and snack chips, soda or sugary drinks, weight gain, smoking) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, higher-frequency-based diet quality was associated with lower risk of overweight or obesity (OR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.76; p-trend < 0.01). Thus, FRM skills and healthy eating focus were associated with higher diet quality and healthier self-reported changes in diet, weight, and smoking behaviors during the pandemic.

The lived experience of food insecurity among adults with obesity: a quantitative and qualitative systematic review

BACKGROUND

Food insecurity and obesity are increasing both globally and in the UK. In this review we systematically assess the lived experiences of people with obesity who are food insecure and often turn to food banks.

METHODS

We systematically searched electronic databases from January 2007 until October 2022. Data from eligible studies were extracted and the studies assessed for quality. Thematic analysis and narrative synthesis approach was used to analyse the extracted data.

RESULTS

Six themes were identified among 25 included studies, including: the financial cost of food; psychological aspects related to food insecurity; geographical access and the food environment; food practices in the home; experience of food assistance; and parental-child relationships. The cost of healthy food and psychological factors were identified as key driving factors of the relationship between food insecurity and obesity. Psychological factors such as depression, low self-esteem and stress played an important part in the lived experience of people with obesity and food insecurity.

CONCLUSION

The food environment provides context in which food decisions are made, therefore, systems change is necessary to ensure families can afford the food that enables a healthy diet. For clinicians, identification, and attention to the impact of food insecurity on people with obesity are important.

Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. food assistance programs allowed the use of program benefits to order groceries online. We examined relationships between the food environment, food assistance, online grocery ordering, and diet quality among adults from one low-income, low food access community in Northeastern Connecticut during the pandemic. Via online survey, adults (n = 276) reported their perceived home and store food environments, food assistance participation, whether they ordered groceries online, and consumption frequency and liking of foods/beverages to calculate diet quality indices. Those who ordered groceries online (44.6%) were more likely to participate in food assistance programs and report greater diet quality. Perceived healthiness of store and home food environments was variable, with the ease of obtaining and selecting unhealthy foods in the neighborhood significantly greater than healthy foods. Healthier perceived home food environments were associated with significantly higher diet qualities, especially among individuals who participated in multiple food assistance programs. Ordering groceries online interacted with multiple measures of the food environment to influence diet quality. Generally, the poorest diet quality was observed among individuals who perceived their store and home food environments as least healthy and who did not order groceries online. Thus, ordering groceries online may support higher diet quality among adults who can use their food assistance for purchasing groceries online and who live in low-income, low-access food environments.

Increasing Access to Healthy Foods through Improving Food Environment: A Review of Mixed Methods Intervention Studies with Residents of Low-Income Communities

Food insecurity is a broad and serious public health issue in the United States, where many people are reporting lack of access to healthy foods. The reduced availability of healthy, affordable foods has led to increased consumption of energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods, resulting in increasing the risk for many chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thus, identifying promising approaches to increase access to healthy foods through improving the food environment is of importance. The purpose of this review article is to highlight how the food environment affects directly a person’s food choices, and how to increase access to healthy foods through improving environmental approaches. The literature search was focused on finding different approaches to improve food security, primarily those with an impact on food environment. Overall, potential solutions were gathered through multilevel environmental approaches, including nutrition education and peer education, community-based participatory research, and policy changes in supplemental nutrition programs. A recommendation to reduce food insecurity is learning to create meals with a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables purchased from affordable farmers’ markets.