SNAP Participants Improved Food Security And Diet After A Full-Service Supermarket Opened In An Urban Food Desert.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cantor J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8237564 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe Good Food Junction Grocery Store was opened in a former food desert in the inner city of Saskatoon, Canada.ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to examine, using grocery store sales data, healthy and less healthful food purchasing over a one-year period beginning eight months after opening by shoppers' neighborhood of residence.DesignA multilevel cross sectional design was used. The sample consisted of members of the Good Food Junction with a valid address in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All purchases made by members who reported their postal code of residence from May 15, 2013 to April 30, 2014 were analyzed. The outcome variable was the total amount spent on foods in 11 food groups. Linear random intercept models with three levels were fit to the data.ResultsShoppers who were residents of former food desert neighborhoods spent $0.7 (95% CI: 0.2 to 1.2) more on vegetables, and $1.2 (95% CI: - 1.8 to - 0.6) less on meat, and $1.1 (95% CI: - 2.0 to - 0.3) less on prepared foods than shoppers who did not reside in those neighborhoods.ConclusionsWhen given geographical access to healthy food, people living in disadvantaged former food desert neighborhoods will take advantage of that access.
| S-EPMC4721426 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and on coping-strategies in urban and peri-urban areas of the Hyderabad, India. Household survey data were collected before (October 2018) and during (January 2021) the onset of the pandemic. Results from logistic regression with the standarized Food Insecurity Expecience Scale (FIES) as dependent variable reveal that close to 40% of the households surveyed experienced a deterioration in food security status during the pandemic. In particular, we find that food security is closely related to the sector of employment in which the primary income- earning member of a household is engaged. To mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their food security, our sampled households adopted a variety of consumption-smoothing strategies including availing credit from both formal and informal sources, and liquidating their savings. Compared to households with severe or moderate level of food insecurity, households facing a mild level of food insecurity relied on stored food as a strategy to smoothen consumption in response to the income shock imparted by the pandemic. In addition, the results indicate that urban households, who adopted similar coping strategies as those adopted by peri-urban households, tended to be more food-insecure. Finally, the duration of unemployment experienced during the pandemic significantly influenced the status of household food security. These findings can inform the formulation of immediate and medium-term policy responses, including social protection policies conductive to mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and ameliorating the governance of urban food security during unexpected events and shocks.
| S-EPMC9136225 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFood insecurity is a major global public health issue. Social capital has been identified as central to maintaining food security across a wide range of low- and middle-income country contexts, but few studies have examined this relationship through sociocentric network analysis.ObjectiveWe investigated relationships between household- and community-level social connectedness, household food security, and household income; and tested the hypothesis that social connectedness modified the relationship between income and food security.MethodsA cross-sectional census with an embedded questionnaire to capture social relationships was conducted among eleven peri-urban communities. Community connectedness was related to study outcomes of food security and per-capita income through regression models.ResultsOf 1520 households identified, 1383 were interviewed (91.0%) and 1272 (83.9%) provided complete data. Households in the youngest communities had the most total contacts, and the highest proportion of contacts outside of the community. Household income was also associated with more outside-community contacts (0.05 more contacts per standard deviation increase in income, p<0.001).Less food secure households reported more contacts nearby (0.24 increase in household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) for each additional contact, p<0.001). After adjusting for household-level socioeconomic status, membership in an older, larger, and better-connected community, with a greater proportion of residents engaged in rural livelihood strategies, was associated with greater food security (-0.92 decrease in HFIAS for each one-unit increase in community mean degree, p=0.008). There was no evidence that social connectedness modified the relationship between income and food security such that lower-income households benefited more from community membership than higher-income households.ConclusionsAlthough households reported networks that spanned rural villages and urban centers, contacts within the community, with whom food was regularly shared, were most important to maintaining food security. Interventions that build within-community connectedness in peri-urban settings may increase food security.
| S-EPMC5976826 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Pesticide use in peri-urban areas affects the urban environment and public health, and reducing the use may present food security issues for urban dwellers. In this study, we explore how a municipality-adopted goal of a 20% reduction in pesticide use could be achieved, along with local food security and environmental implications, for Shanghai located in the densely populated East China. A regional Shanghai Agricultural Sector Model incorporating district- and technology-varying crop budgets, was developed to simulate the effects of pesticide reduction policy. Here we find that achieving the reduction goal had the largest implications in districts with high pesticide use totals and intensities, potentially reducing pesticide non-point source pollution in the Yangtze River Estuary and Dianshan Lake; the production levels of rice and leafy vegetables would be most affected; and adopting machinery that allows more precise pesticide application modulates these results. Moreover, imposing the requirements at the district-level caused more severe local food security concerns, and less environmental benefits. Furthermore, a closed Shanghai's agricultural economy would substantially enlarge the regional heterogeneity in the above-mentioned outcomes. Exploring the effects of a quantity control policy on current-use pesticides at different aggregation levels has important implications for regulating the use of agrochemicals.
| S-EPMC11197716 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Motivated by concern over lack of access to nutritious food in low-income neighborhoods, healthy food financing initiatives have encouraged the introduction of new supermarkets. Extensive research on the association between the food retail environment and nutrition outcomes has shown mixed results. There has been less research specifically on food security outcomes. Objective: We assessed the association between multiple food environment measures and food security for low-income US households. Methods: By using the USDA's nationally representative 2012-2013 Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS; n = 4826 households), which provides unique information about neighborhood- and household-level food retailer access, we quantified cross-sectional associations between food environment characteristics and household-level outcomes, with and without regression controls. Logistic regression analysis was used for binary household food security outcomes. Results: Most households bypassed the nearest retailer to select a primary retailer farther from home. For low-income households, distance to the nearest supermarket and to the primary retailer was not associated with food security. In comparison to shopping with households' own automobile, the odds of being food secure were lower for households that used another automobile (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.90) or other transportation (OR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.61) to reach the primary retailer. Conclusions: Having a closest supermarket ≤1 mile from home was not associated with household food security. In contrast, the mode of transportation used to access the primary retailer was associated with household food security. In future research, it may be valuable to not only focus on the distance to the nearest supermarket but to investigate the qualities of the food retail environment at distances >1 mile that are most strongly associated with food security outcomes.
| S-EPMC5998793 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We examined the associations of a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) point-of-purchase financial incentive program at farmers' markets with produce purchase, consumption, and food security outcomes. We conducted cross-sectional, interviewer-administered intercept surveys with 325 adult SNAP participants at six incentive programs, five comparison farmers' markets, and nine comparison supermarkets in California in the summer of 2018. The program provided dollar-for-dollar point-of-purchase incentives with $10 or $20 maximum at participating farmers' markets. We measured produce consumption by an NCI screener; food security by the USDA 6-item screener; and program satisfaction with open-ended questions asked of a subsample. The quantitative analysis involved multilevel linear and logistic regression, adjusted for covariates. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically. Shoppers at farmers' markets offering $20 incentives had significantly higher odds of purchasing most of their produce at farmers' markets than shoppers at $10 incentive (3.1, CI: 1.1, 8.7) or comparison markets (8.1, CI 2.2, 29.7). Incentives were not associated with quantitatively measured produce consumption. Each additional incentive dollar was associated with reduced odds of food insecurity (0.987, CI 0.976, 0.999). Participants appreciated the program; supermarket shoppers lacked awareness. Point-of-purchase incentives are appreciated and underutilized. Further understanding of optimal program design for produce consumption and food security impact is needed.
| S-EPMC9268255 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This paper makes several contributions to the literature regarding the measurement of food insecurity and implications for estimating factors that affect this outcome. First, we show that receipt of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has a systematic effect on responses to questions in the 12-month food security module (FSM). We find that the probability of affirming more severe food hardships items, and the probability of being classified as having very low food security (VLFS), is higher just before and just after households receive their benefits. This leads to an under-estimate of VLFS by 3.2 percentage points for the SNAP sample (about 17 percent of prevalence). We also provide informative bounds on the relationship between SNAP and VLFS and show that the treatment effect of SNAP on VLFS is also likely underestimated.
| S-EPMC7906471 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Urban food systems are complex and increasingly recognised as not being sustainable, equitable or resilient. Though globalisation and lengthening of agrifood supply chains has brought many benefits, such as year-long availability of fresh produce and modernisation opportunities for some developing regions, they have increased reliance on food imports and reduced the food and nutrition resilience of many cities. This premise has been widely witnessed following recent financial, climatic and pandemic driven disruptions to food supplies. A greater understanding is thus needed of the lived reality of a modern city's ability to sustainably and equitably feed itself in a crisis situation or otherwise. In a changing world, such knowledge is valuable on a variety of strategic planning levels. Employing publically available data, the scale of food security and resilience, and options for their improvement, are holistically assessed through a case study spatial analysis of the urban food system of the city of Leeds in the United Kingdom. The case study found that the Leeds city region is home to a significant and diverse food production and provision system, but it is not food secure in terms of providing sufficient energy or macronutrients, or functioning in an equitable manner for all of its residents. Options for improving the performance of the system, including urban farming and industrial symbiosis, were found to be nuanced and would only be effective alongside a range of complimentary interventions as well as high levels of investment, multi-sector cooperation and strong governance. Though food system evolution and development are grounded in local context, the methods, general findings and circular economy focussed recommendations emanating from the case study, are widely applicable.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12571-021-01142-2.
| S-EPMC7868171 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The burden of obesity disproportionately influences poor health outcomes in rural communities in the United States. Various social and environmental factors contribute to inadequate food access and availability in rural areas, influencing dietary intakes and food insecurity rates. This study aims to identify patterns related to food insecurity and fruit and vegetable consumption within a SNAP-eligible and low-income, highly obese rural Appalachian community. A prospective cohort was implemented to identify gaps in resources addressing obesity and food insecurity challenges. SAS 9.4 software was used to examine differences in dietary intakes and shopping practices among SNAP participants. Among participants (n = 152), most reported an annual household income less than USD 20,000 (n = 90, 60.4%), 29.1% reported food insecurity, and 39.5% reported receiving SNAP benefits within the last month. The overall mean FV intake was 3.46 daily servings (95% CI: 3.06-3.91) among all participants. SNAP participation was associated with food insecurity (p = 0.007) and those participating in SNAP were two times more likely to report being food insecure (OR = 2.707, 95% CI: 1.317, 5.563), relative to non-participants. These findings further depict the need for intervention, as the burden of food insecurity persists. Tailoring health-promoting initiatives to consider rurality and SNAP participation is vital for sustainable success among these populations.
| S-EPMC7504289 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundVirtual supermarkets offer a practical and affordable setting to test the efficacy of different pricing and nudging strategies before they are implemented in the real world. Despite the advantages of using virtual supermarkets for this purpose, conducting studies in online settings is challenging with regard to recruitment and retention of sufficient and suitable participants.ObjectiveTo describe cost, time, and retention with regard to participants recruited using various strategies and potential sociodemographic differences between participants recruited via different strategies.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used data from a randomized controlled trial in which 455 Dutch adults with low and high educational levels were invited to shop 5 times in a 3D virtual supermarket. Participants were recruited via social media and flyers. A log that tracked the costs of and time spent on the different recruitment strategies was kept by the study team. Outcome measures included the cost of recruitment strategies, the time investment by researchers, and recruitment and attrition rates of participants in the study.ResultsThe median age of study completers was 31.0 (IQR 25.0) and 157 out of 346 study completers (45.4%) were highly educated. Out of the 455 included participants, 235 (51.6%) were recruited via social media campaigns, 131 (28.8%) via home-delivered flyers, 38 (8.4%) via flyers directly distributed by the study team, and 46 (10.1%) via word-of-mouth. Of all paid recruitment strategies, social media campaigns were the cheapest and least time-consuming, whereas the distribution of flyers by the study team was the most expensive and time-consuming recruitment strategy. Age, sex, overweight status, employment situation, and number of adults within the household varied by recruitment strategy.ConclusionsUsing different recruitment strategies resulted in the efficient recruitment of a representative study sample and retention of participants was relatively high. While "word-of-mouth" was the most cost- and time-effective recruitment strategy, using only one type of recruitment strategy could result in a demographically skewed study population.
| S-EPMC7902190 | biostudies-literature