Food Security Status is Associated with Diet Quality in Indiana Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program‐Education (SNAP‐Ed) Eligible Adults

Abstract

BackgroundFood security and socioeconomic status have been associated with diet quality. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program‐Education (SNAP‐Ed) aims to improve the diet quality of low resource populations; however, little is known about the association of food security status with diet quality in the SNAP‐Ed eligible population.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine whether food security status is associated with diet quality in a sample of Indiana SNAP‐Ed eligible adult participants.MethodsSNAP‐Ed eligible adults age ≥18 y (n = 261) from 31 Indiana counties were recruited to participate from August 2015 to May 2016. Baseline food security score was assigned for household adults using the 10‐item United States Household Food Security Survey Module and used to classify participants as food secure (0–2) or food insecure (3–10). Baseline Healthy Eating Index‐2010 (HEI‐2010) score was assigned using dietary data collected from the National Cancer Institute Automated Self‐Administered 24‐Hour Recall Tool (2014 version with 1–2 days of recalls per participant). A generalized linear regression model was used to estimate the association between food security status and HEI‐2010 score for this cross‐sectional study.ResultsFood security status is significantly associated with total HEI‐2010 score (β = 4.7; p = 0.01) at baseline. The mean total HEI‐2010 score was 45.1 ± 14.0 (Mean ± SD) for food secure participants (n = 68) and 40.4 ± 12.1 (Mean ± SD) for food insecure participants (n = 139).ConclusionDiet quality is lower in food insecure SNAP‐Ed eligible Indiana adults compared with their food secure counterparts. There is a strong need for nutrition interventions to improve diet quality, particularly targeting food insecure audiences within in low‐resource populations.Support or Funding InformationThis activity was funded, by Purdue, as part of AgSEED Crossroads funding to support Indiana's Agriculture and Rural Development and the Purdue Health and Human Sciences Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program.