Abstract
Objective: To explore perspectives on barriers of eating healthy among food pantry clients.Methods: Food pantry clients participated in focus groups/interviews. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using content analyses and grounded theory approach. Themes were then identified. Quantitative data were analyzed for frequencies and descriptives.Results: Fifty-four clients from 10 pantries participated in interviews/focus groups and completed questionnaires. Two major themes emerged: concern over obesity and other chronic diseases, and barriers to healthy eating. Several subthemes for barriers to healthy eating were identified: financial uncertainty, cost of healthy foods, lack of time, rationing food within family, lack of transportation, lack of adequate kitchen equipment, lack of nutrition knowledge and skills, and social support network.Conclusions: Issues identified above and those identified by others working with low-income populations need to be systematically addressed and incorporated into programs and nutrition education interventions for this group.
Highlights
The current economic scenario in the United States has led to a historically high demand for food assistance.[1]Unemployment and poverty rates have remained high since the Great Recession of 2008; between 2009 and2013, the number of households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increased *50%.2 In addition, the use of emergency food banks has become widespread.[2,3]A food bank is a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger relief charities such as food pantries
Food pantry use was intended for emergencies, it is being used to address the chronic need for food by many low-income families each month.[4]
Sometimes it is hard for us to even get here since I have to take two buses to get here.’’. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify the barriers to healthy eating among the low-income food pantry clients
Summary
The current economic scenario in the United States has led to a historically high demand for food assistance.[1]Unemployment and poverty rates have remained high since the Great Recession of 2008; between 2009 and2013, the number of households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increased *50%.2 In addition, the use of emergency food banks has become widespread.[2,3]A food bank is a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger relief charities such as food pantries. The current economic scenario in the United States has led to a historically high demand for food assistance.[1]. The use of emergency food banks has become widespread.[2,3]. Food pantry use was intended for emergencies, it is being used to address the chronic need for food by many low-income families each month.[4] The Houston Food Bank (HFB) is one of the largest food banks in the national network of Feeding America, the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States.[4,5] The HFB provides food assistance to more than 900,000 low-income individuals annually via 600 community-based agencies (churches, food pantries, and community kitchens).[5]
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