Food insecurity, nutrition knowledge, and cooking skills are barriers to healthy eating among food pantry users

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine household food security, cooking confidence, and nutrition knowledge and beliefs of food pantry users. In‐person interviews were conducted with 54 food pantry users (55.6% male) from an urban food pantry in Cincinnati, OH. Food security status was determined using the 18‐item US Household Food Security Survey Module. Nutrition knowledge and beliefs were assessed using a shortened US Department of Agriculture Diet and Health Survey. Cooking skills were assessed using a modified questionnaire originally by the UK Health Education Authority. Participants were 50.5±9.1 years of age and primarily Black Americans (88.9%) living in households characterized as food insecure (81.5%; 22.2% low food security, 59.3% very low food security). Food pantry users were confident in their cooking skills (87.0%), but many still thought that their ability to cook healthy meals was a barrier to healthy eating (42.6%). Participants reported that nutrition label reading was useful for making better food choices (90.7%), but the information was hard to interpret (59.3%). Yet, they were interested in learning how to use food labels to choose a nutritious diet (87.1%). Nutrition education for food pantry users may be an essential part of interventions for the food insecure within the constraints of limited food access.Startup funding by University Research Council, University of CincinnatiGrant Funding Source: none