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McNeely A, Borchers L, Szeszulski J, Eicher-Miller HA, Seguin-Fowler RA, MacMillan Uribe A. The role of the community café in addressing food security: Perceptions of managers and directors. Appetite 2024; 196:107274. [PMID: 38364971 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
In the United States, the pay-what-you-can restaurant model (community cafes) is an increasingly popular approach to addressing food insecurity in local communities. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 13) with community café executive managers and directors to assess their perceptions of the role that their cafes play in addressing food security (FS). Analysis of interviews revealed two major areas of emphasis by participants. Filling an unoccupied space in the food security landscape. Interviewees regularly cited the goal of making meals available through a dependable schedule, convenient location, and welcoming atmosphere for guests to promote regular visits to the café, and they did so with an awareness of how their practices were shaped by perceived shortcomings in comparable services. In addition, guest agency and social aspects of the café as components of utilization, was another major area. Interviewees often regarded the opportunity of the food insecure guest to choose healthy options (i.e., nutritionally dense) over less healthful ones (i.e., calorically dense) from the menu as a critical component of their service. The social component of the café (e.g., community atmosphere, 'dining-out' experience) was another aspect of the café's function that promoted dignity for the guest which can lead to greater likelihood of return visits. Perceptions shared by participants of the café's role in addressing food security suggest that rather than simply adding to the available options of hunger relief services, the café model attempts to address many areas of concern, such as structural and cultural barriers, found in the traditional forms of charitable food provision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew McNeely
- Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife Dallas Research Center, 17360 Coit Rd., Dallas, TX, 75252, USA
| | - Lori Borchers
- Texas Christian University Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Annie Richardson Bass Building 2101, 2800 W Bowie St, Fort Worth, TX, 76109, USA
| | - Jacob Szeszulski
- Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife Dallas Research Center, 17360 Coit Rd., Dallas, TX, 75252, USA
| | - Heather A Eicher-Miller
- Purdue University, Department of Nutrition Science, 700 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Rebecca A Seguin-Fowler
- Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture, Texas A&M University, 500 Research Parkway Centeq Building B, Suite 270, College Station, TX, 77845, USA
| | - Alexandra MacMillan Uribe
- Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife Dallas Research Center, 17360 Coit Rd., Dallas, TX, 75252, USA.
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Park J, Kim C, Son S. Disparities in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-year analysis. Cities 2022; 131:104003. [PMID: 36168406 PMCID: PMC9500096 DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.104003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
While the overall level of food insecurity in the United States has remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain individuals and regions have fared worse than others. This study examines state-level variables affecting individual- and household-level food insecurity during the recent two years of the pandemic beginning in 2020 by utilizing the Household Pulse Survey, a new nationally representative dataset developed by the United States Census Bureau. The results of this study suggest a set of statewide factors, such as pandemic-driven market conditions, COVID-19 prevalence, and the implementation of federal programs, are associated with the level of food insecurity that individuals have experienced during the pandemic over the past two years. The associations varied by household income levels, indicating a strong relationship between higher-income households and market conditions, as well as the importance of federal programs and state policies in alleviating food insecurity among lower-income households. The food insecurity indices also overlapped with different socioeconomic and health hardships caused by the pandemic, such as employment income loss, housing instability, and mental health problems. The findings of this study highlight state-level contexts, particularly the role of state governments, in responding to pandemic-related food insecurity.
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Affiliation(s)
- JungHo Park
- Department of Housing & Interior Design (BK21 Four AgeTech-Service Convergence Major), College of Human Ecology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chaeri Kim
- Resource & Environmental Management, Action On Climate, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Seulgi Son
- Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 2000 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
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Sakr-Ashour FA, Wambogo E, Sahyoun NR. Social Relationships, Food Security, Protein Intake, and Hospitalization in Homebound Older Adults: A PATH Analysis. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr 2022; 41:201-216. [PMID: 35703450 DOI: 10.1080/21551197.2022.2084203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to measure direct and indirect relationships between food insecurity (FI), protein intake, social relationships, depressive symptoms, and their impact on hospitalization among home-delivered meal (HDM) recipients, compared to controls, using structural equation modeling. The analysis used data from the National Outcomes Evaluation Study (2015-2017) of the OAANSP. HDM recipients' mean usual protein intake was significantly higher than controls, but both groups had mean intakes below recommendations. Eating alone was inversely associated with lower protein intake and greater hospitalizations in controls. FI, prevalent in 25.1% of HDM recipient and 16% of controls, was associated with lower protein intake in both groups. Receiving instrumental social support was directly associated with lesser severity of FI in recipients. and more depressive symptoms only in controls. HDM recipients and controls may be at high risk for protein insufficiency, underscored by high prevalence of FI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fayrouz A Sakr-Ashour
- School of Sciences & Engineering, Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt
| | - Edwina Wambogo
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Nadine R Sahyoun
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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