Household food security and use of community food sources and food assistance programs among food shoppers in neighborhoods of low income and low food access

ABSTRACT

Food insecurity exceeds the 14% national level in severely disadvantaged households, and food shoppers seek food sources and assistance. In 513 predominantly African American households in South Carolina, food security was a significant predictor of sources used, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics (least squares means = high food security, 2.10; marginal, 2.96; low, 2.91; very low, 3.40). The top sources were churches/social services, food bank/pantry, farmers’ market, family/friend/neighbor, soup kitchen/shelter, and hunting/fishing/trapping. Adjusted odds were significantly greater among households of lower food security levels compared to high food security for food from church/social services, food bank/pantry, family/friend/neighbors, soup kitchen/shelter, and community/school/church garden.

KEYWORDS:

• African American
• emergency food
• food access
• food security
• poverty

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the work of the project’s staff and students and assistance from the Hub City Farmers’ Market, Butterfly Foundation, Northside Development Group, Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Spartanburg and Florence city government, the Soulfully Fit Committee, and many community leaders and organizations in conducting this research.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01CA180336. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01CA180336. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.