Household Food Supplies Research Articles

Smallholder Farmers' Livelihood Security Options amidst Climate Variability and Change in Rural Ghana.

Farming as a livelihood activity in the Bosomtwe District is threatened by climate change. This paper ascertained the alternative livelihood options of smallholder farmers against climate variability and change in the Bosomtwe District. Using a cross-sectional survey, 152 smallholder farmers were sampled from 12 communities using a multistage sampling procedure. The quantitative data collected were subjected to binary logistic regression analysis, contingency tables, frequencies, and Nagelkerke tests of association, embedded in the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) v.17. The results indicate that farmers are resorting to alternative livelihood activities that are less capital intensive and require less skill in order to secure income and household food supply. Significant determinants of farmers' alternative livelihood are age, household size, and household food supply, which were significant at p < .030, p < .019, and p < .012, respectively. At a 95% confidence interval (CI), these variables had lower to upper CIs for each of the EXP (B), respectively, at CI = 1.134–12.524, CI = 1.359–30.224, and CI = 1.781–104.561, respectively. The paper recommends that government institutes policies that will create opportunities and draw on various local/grassroots opportunities and resources to expand farmers' asset base for sustainable livelihood strategies.

Role of Rural Women in Sustaining Household Food Supplies in Western Sudan.

30May 2016 Role of Rural Women in Sustaining Household Food Supplies in Western Sudan. Mohamed Ahamed Osman Ibnouf and Fatma Osman Ibnouf. Mohamed Ahamed Osman Ibnouf is an associate professor at Faculty of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Sudan Fatma Osman Ibnouf is an assistant professor and researcher at Development Studies and Research Institute, University of Khartoum, Sudan.

Cognitive Interviews with Parents to Validate a Questionnaire Assessing the Quality of Home Food Supplies

Foods available at home can affect health outcomes. Time‐efficient, reliable, valid tools that accurately estimate the calorie and nutrient quality of the home food supply are needed. Thus, a 36‐item food frequency questionnaire for individual intake was modified to assess household food supply fruit and vegetable servings, calories, percent calories from fat, and nutrients (i.e., total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, vitamin C, fiber, potassium, magnesium, sugar from sweetened beverages). As part of validation, cognitive interviews were conducted with 15 parents to assess comprehension of questionnaire items and accuracy of interpretation by having parents read each questionnaire item aloud and verbally explain what the item was asking, then select their answer to the item and state the reasoning for the answer. The instructions for completing the questionnaire were reviewed with each parent before the cognitive interview began. After the first 5 interviews, the instrument layout was revised to put fewer items on each page (similar items, such as fruits and vegetables, were grouped together on a page) and repeating questionnaire instructions at the top of each page as a reminder of how to answer the items. Overall, parents correctly interpreted questionnaire items, felt that they were quick and easy to complete, and had only minor suggestions for improvement. A few parents thought some items were redundant, mainly because parents did not differentiate between food descriptors/qualifiers (e.g., low fat vs whole milk) indicating a need for stronger visual cues in the questionnaire to facilitate differentiation (e.g., color, bold, and/or underline descriptors). Several were unsure as to whether takeout food, specifically pizza, should be counted as part of the household food supply. A few wanted to report on additional food items beyond those in the questionnaire, such as ethnic foods. Some had minor difficulties remembering the questionnaire was about household food availability not dietary intake of individual family members. Cognitive interview results indicate that a food frequency questionnaire modified for assessing household food supply is a quick, easy tool for estimating food availability in the home and is understandable and acceptable to study participants. Future research should investigate the validity of the questionnaire by comparing parent responses to actual household food supplies.Support or Funding InformationUSDA NIFA #2011‐68001‐30170

Fisheries of Jemma and Wonchit Rivers: As a Means of Livelihood Diversification and its Challenges in North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Fishing plays a critical role as a ‘bank in the water’ for local populations that largely rely on this activity to access cash quickly. This study aimed: (1) to assess the importance of fisheries in improving farmer’s livelihood in the study area. (2) to assess households and individual's involvement in inland fisheries in terms of utilization and management, and (3) to recommend means of interventions for sustainable use of the resource and enhance benefits from the river fishery. This activity was conducted by using a combination of monitoring of fish catch, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Fishing is seasonal and intensively carried out during the dry seasons starting from February up to April. The most popular fishing gears used for fishing are the seed of Millettia ferruginea (in Amharic called Birbira) and barks of Balanites aegyptiaca (locally called Bedeno). In the area the main fish type consumed by the community are Clarias gariepinus [catfish] and Labeobarbus intermedius [Barbus] fish species in fresh and sun dried forms but Oreochromis niloticus is not known as it is edible. The farmers have a good fish consumption habit which is by far greater than the town’s inhabitants. Hence, Farming and fishing are overwhelmingly the most important activities for household food supply and means of income generation. Fish catches from the rivers have declined significantly because of the destructive way of fishing, water pollution, and resource encroachment, thereby threatening the sustainability of Jemma and Wonchit river fisheries as well as the river’s ecosystem.

Feasibility of a Healthy Trolley Index to assess dietary quality of the household food supply.

Supermarket receipts have the potential to provide prospective, objective information about the household food supply. The aim of this study was to develop an index to estimate population diet quality using food purchase data. Supermarket receipt data of 1 month were available for 836 adults from a corporate office of a large retail chain. Participants were aged 19-65 years (mean 37·6 (sd 9·3) years), 56 % were female and 63 % were overweight or obese. A scoring system (Healthy Trolley Index (HETI)) was developed to compare food expenditure with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Monthly expenditure per food group, as a proportion of total food expenditure, was compared with food group recommendations, and a HETI score was calculated to estimate overall compliance with guidelines. Participants spent the greatest proportion on discretionary foods, which are high in fat/sugar (34·8 %), followed by meat including beef and chicken (17·0 %), fresh and frozen vegetables (13·5 %) and dairy foods (11·3 %). The average HETI score ranged from 22·6 to 93·1 (out of 100, mean 58·8 (sd 10·9)). There was a stepwise decrease in expenditure on discretionary foods by increasing HETI quintile, whereas expenditure on fruit and vegetables increased with HETI quintile (P<0·001). The HETI score was lower in obese compared with normal-weight participants (55·9 v. 60·3; P<0·01). Obese participants spent more on discretionary foods (38·3 v. 32·7 %; P<0·01) and less on fruits and vegetables (19·3 v. 22·2 %; P<0·01). The HETI may be a useful tool to describe supermarket purchasing patterns and quality of the household food supply with application for consumer feedback to assist improved quality of foods purchased.

Contrasting approaches to ‘doing’ family meals: a qualitative study of how parents frame children’s food preferences

Family meals, as acts of domestic food provisioning, are shaped by the competing influences of household resources, food preferences and broader cultural norms around dietary practices. The place of children’s food tastes in family meal practices is particularly complex. Food tastes stand in a reciprocal relationship with family food practices: being both an influence on and a product of them. This paper explores how parents think about and respond to their children’s food preferences in relation to family meal practices. A qualitative study was conducted with residents of Sandwell, UK. The results presented here are based on the responses of nine key participants and their families. Photo elicitation methods generated participant food photo diaries that were used to inform subsequent interviews. A thematic analysis revealed two contrasting ways of incorporating children’s tastes into family meal routines: (1) ‘what we fancy’ and (2) ‘regulated’. The former entails repeatedly consulting and negotiating with children over what to cook for each meal. It is supported by the practical strategies of multiple and individually modified meals. The latter relies upon parents developing a repertoire of meals that ‘work’ for the family. This repertoire is performed as a series of ‘set meals’ in which any requests for variation are strongly resisted. Our findings add to the small body of literature on household food provisioning and suggest that achieving the idealised ritual of the family meal is underpinned by a range of values and strategies, some of which may run counter to health messages about nutrition.

Planning for food secure cities: Measuring the influence of infrastructure and income on household food security in Southern African cities

This paper presents correlation and regression analyses designed to assess the respective relationships between the Household Food Insecure Access Scale/Prevalence (HFIAS/HFIAP) (as a measure of food access), the Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP) (as a measure of food access stability) and (1) the Lived Poverty Index (LPI) (as an infrastructure access measure) and (2) household income. The data is drawn from a survey of 6453 households from 11 Southern African cities. The findings indicate that infrastructure access significantly predicted HFIAP and MAHFP scores. The regression analyses demonstrated that households with inconsistent or no access to a cash income, cooking fuel, medical care, electricity, or water had 11 times greater odds of being categorized as food insecure in the HFIAP and 8.5 times greater odds of having less than 12months of adequate food provisioning in the last year. Household income alone does not sufficiently account for these relationships. The correlation analyses demonstrate a strong association between all the LPI subscales and household food access. These results clarify the differential impact of social and physical infrastructure on household food security and demonstrate that the prevailing conditions of an urban environment may better explain (and predict) urban household food security than household income alone. This investigation emphasizes the central role that urban planning and development can play in reducing food insecurity in poor urban neighborhoods.

Socio-economic determinants of household food security and women's dietary diversity in rural Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundThere has been limited decline in undernutrition rates in South Asia compared with the rest of Asia and one reason for this may be low levels of household food security. However, the evidence base on the determinants of household food security is limited. To develop policies intended to improve household food security, improved knowledge of the determinants of household food security is required.MethodsHousehold data were collected in 2011 from a randomly selected sample of 2,809 women of reproductive age. The sample was drawn from nine unions in three districts of rural Bangladesh. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to measure the relationship between selected determinants of household food security and months of adequate household food provisioning, and a linear regression to measure the association between the same determinants and women’s dietary diversity score.ResultsThe analyses found that land ownership, adjusted relative risk ratio (RRR) 0.28 (CI 0.18, 0.42); relative wealth (middle tertile 0.49 (0.29, 0.84) and top tertile 0.18 (0.10, 0.33)); women’s literacy 0.64 (0.46, 0.90); access to media 0.49 (0.33, 0.72); and women’s freedom to access the market 0.56 (0.36, 0.85) all significantly reduced the risk of food insecurity. Larger households increased the risk of food insecurity, adjusted RRR 1.46 (CI 1.02, 2.09). Households with vegetable gardens 0.20 (0.11, 0.31), rich households 0.46 (0.24, 0.68) and literate women 0.37 (0.20, 0.54) were significantly more likely to have better dietary diversity scores.ConclusionHousehold food insecurity remains a key public health problem in Bangladesh, with households suffering food shortages for an average of one quarter of the year. Simple survey and analytical methods are able to identify numerous interlinked factors associated with household food security, but wealth and literacy were the only two determinants associated with both improved food security and dietary diversity. We cannot conclude whether improvements in all determinants are necessarily needed to improve household food security, but new and existing policies that relate to these determinants should be designed and monitored with the knowledge that they could substantially influence the food security and nutritional status of the population.

Emergency Food Supplies in Food Secure Households.

Introduction Limited food supply paired with reduced access to food during emergency disasters can lead to malnutrition. To date, research evaluating the adequacy of household emergency food supplies relies on self-reported data from surveys and has not been measured objectively in households in the United States. The main objective of this study was to describe household calorie availability and nutrient density in a normal situation and to project changes that could occur when emergencies (eg, natural disasters) restrict replenishment of food supplies and disrupt water and/or energy needed for food preparation and storage. Hypothesis The calorie availability of the food supply within households in New Jersey (USA) is anticipated to be well above the recommended 3-day period. However, it is anticipated that the nutritional density of the food supply within these households will be negative. Additionally, the disaster-related factors that diminish the ability to consume stored food (eg, lack of water, power for cooking, and/or proper storage) will further reduce the caloric and nutritional adequacy of the household food supply. The household food supplies of 100 food secure families in New Jersey were inventoried at a non-emergency point in time. The number of days that the inventoried food supply would provide all household members 100% of the daily value (DV) for calories and other nutrients was determined. Additionally, the effects of water and power shortages on nutritional availability of household food supply were estimated. The households had an average of 33.16 days (SD=21.97; range=8.14-125.17 days) of calories at 100% DV for all household members. Lack of water, energy for cooking, or both would render a decrease in the total household calories by 28%, 35%, or 38%, respectively. Loss of power for greater than five days would reduce availability of household calories by 27%. A positive nutrient density was observed with and without the food-related resources of water and power. The mean food supply within the sampled households exceeds the current emergency preparedness recommendations, even when considering specific nutrients and emergency-related factors that affect ability to consume the food supply. Cross-sectional observation of the household food supply of food secure families in New Jersey reveals adequate dietary-based emergency preparedness and low vulnerability to emergency-induced food insecurity.

Effects of food price inflation on infant and child mortality in developing countries

After a historic low level in the early 2000s, global food prices surged upwards to bring about the global food crisis of 2008. High and increasing food prices can generate an immediate threat to the security of a household's food supply, thereby undermining population health. This paper aims to assess the precise effects of food price inflation on child health in developing countries. This paper employs a panel dataset covering 95 developing countries for the period 2001-2011 to make a comprehensive assessment of the effects of food price inflation on child health as measured in terms of infant mortality rate and child mortality rate. Focusing on any departure of health indicators from their respective trends, we find that rising food prices have a significant detrimental effect on nourishment and consequently lead to higher levels of both infant and child mortality in developing countries, and especially in least developed countries (LDCs). High food price inflation rates are also found to cause an increase in undernourishment only in LDCs and thus leading to an increase in infant and child mortality in these poorest countries.This result is consistent with the observation that, in lower-income countries, food has a higher share in household expenditures and LDCs are likely to be net food importing countries. Hence, there should be increased efforts by both LDC governments and the international community to alleviate the detrimental link between food price inflation and undernourishment and also the link between undernourishment and infant mortality.

Appraising nutrient availability of household food supplies using Block Dietary Screeners for individuals.

The growing interest in environmental influences on obesity risk has spawned the development of tools for appraising home food availability. These tools reveal good reliability but tend to be limited in scope and burdensome to use. This cross-sectional study investigated the feasibility of using food categories and scoring algorithms from valid food frequency questionnaires for individuals (that is, Block Dietary Fat and Fruit-Vegetable-Fiber Screeners) to estimate nutrient availability in household food supplies. Screeners were compared with household food inventories from 100 two-parent families with ⩾1 children ⩽12 years of age. Inventoried foods were coded to match Screener food groups, and amounts available were converted to total adult daily equivalent servings to express the greatest possible frequency at which each food group could be eaten/day/household. Scoring algorithms were converted to express all scores on a per-day basis. For the most conservative assessment, the highest point was used for day ranges for the Fruit-Vegetable-Fiber Screener and the lowest range point was used for the Fat Screener. Spearman's rank-order correlations (r⩾0.76) showed that the Fruit-Vegetable-Fiber Screener ranked households well for fruit/vegetable servings, vitamin C and dietary fiber. The Fat Screener and household inventory were positively correlated (r⩾0.58) for total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Concordance of household inventories and the Fruit-Vegetable-Fiber Screener, as determined by kappa with quadratic weighting, were strong and significant. Fat Screener concordance was moderate. Results indicate that it is feasible to use the efficient, valid Block Dietary Screeners for individuals to appraise household food supplies.

Utilization of edible wild plants and their contribution to household income in Gweta Village, central Botswana

Gweta Village is endowed with a variety of edible wild plants (EWPs) ranging from fruits and leafy vegetables to tubers utilised by the residents. The study focused on documenting and synthesising indigenous knowledge related to the use of EWPs and assess their contribution to household food supply and income in Gweta Village, central Botswana. Data were collected through household survey of forty five households and five key informants. Twenty four species were found that belong to thirteen families, used as source of food and beverage. Most utilised EWPs include Grewia flava, Grewia bicolor, Scloreocarya birrea, Amaranthus thunbergii, Cleome gynandra, Corchorus olitorius. They are the main source of food and income, and are harvested by almost everyone in the Village. About 52% of the respondents were engaged in the sale of nine EWPs, and the sale contributed between BWP 50.00 to more than BWP 400.00 per week. The study showed that women are predominant users and collectors of EWPs and children are regular harvesters in small quantities for consumption as snack. Furthermore, the study revealed that elephants are the major threat to diminishing of EWPs in the Village. Some of the Villagers have already started domestication of some treasured EWPs while others are eager to do so. The prior assumption that EWPs are of significant importance to the rural economy has been confirmed, and the results revealed that EWPs also assist in dietary diversity, food security and income generation. Further research work on EWPs on nutritional value and related health outcomes is needed. Also, there is a need for creating awareness of the public and policy realignment to promote and market EWPs.

Nutritional strategies of Latino farmworker families with preschool children: Identifying leverage points for obesity prevention

Obesity and overweight are significant problems for children in the US, particularly for Hispanic children. This paper focuses on the children in families of immigrant Hispanic farmworkers, as farm work is the portal though which many immigrants come to the US. This paper (1) describes a model of the nutritional strategies of child feeding in farmworker families; and (2) uses this model to identify leverage points for efforts to improve the nutritional status of these children. In-depth interviews were conducted in Spanish with 33 mothers of 2–5 year old children in farmworker families recruited in North Carolina in 2010–2011. The purposive sample was balanced by farmworker status (migrant or seasonal), child age, and child gender. Interviews were transcribed and translated. Multiple coders and a team approach to analysis were used. Nutritional strategies centered on domains of procuring food, using food, and maintaining food security. The content of these domains reflected environmental factors (e.g., rural isolation, shared housing), contextual factors (e.g., beliefs about appropriate food, parenting style), and available resources (e.g., income, government programs). Environmental isolation and limited access to resources decrease the amount and diversity of household food supplies. Parental actions (parental sacrifices, reduced dietary variety) attempt to buffer children. Use of government food sources is valuable for eligible families. Leverage points are suggested that would change nutritional strategy components and lower the risk of overweight and obesity. Further prospective research is needed to verify the nutritional strategy identified and to test the ability of leverage points to prevent childhood obesity in this vulnerable population.

Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Essential Oil Producing Tree Sclerocarya birrea in South-Central Zimbabwe

A field investigation was conducted in south-central Zimbabwe to assess the traditional and medicinal uses of essential oil producing Sclerocarya birrea; and its contribution to food supply, dietary diversity and income generation among communal farmers. In order to record and document the contribution of S. birrea to household food supplies to communal farmers in south-central Zimbabwe, one hundred and sixteen participants from 4 villages were interviewed between December 2011 and January 2012. Data collected included traditional and medicinal uses of S. birrea; fruit harvesting, processing and income generation activities from S. birrea and its products. The main product harvested by the participants was the fruit. The ripe fruits were eaten raw (100 %), seed kernels were eaten raw (100 %) or roasted (33.6 %), fruit juice fermented to produce children's beverage (22.4 %) or traditional beer (35.3 %), making jam (14.7 %), oil processing (8.6 %) and added to maize, millet and sorghum porridge (4.3 %). S. birrea was used medicinally for cold and flu, diarrhea, sore eyes and toothache. The leaves and fruits were browsed by livestock. S. birrea is also an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) for generating income among rural communities in south-central Zimbabwe with oil, wooden crafts and utensils generating the most cash income. This study showed that S. birrea plays an important role in the socio-cultural life of rural communities in south-central Zimbabwe. These results confirm findings from other studies conducted in rural communities in developing countries that wild plant resources are important for household livelihoods.

Household-food market relations and its implications for food security of farm families in Imo State Nigeria

The existence of markets is critical to the survival of the farm-household-family system and as such the nature of this relationship and how it affects the dietary supply of the household needs to be understood. The objective of this study is to examine the market relation of farm families by examining the degree of market orientation, the seasonal nature of market sales and purchases and their possible implications for food security. A total of 120 households were selected from the rural areas of Imo state using a multi-stage random sampling technique. The surveyed households were classified into Peri-Urban and Remote Farming Systems (PUFS and RFS) through a hierarchical clustering technique after the data were collected. Descriptive and comparative analyses were carried out using the Mann Whitney Test. The results showed that certain crops (cassava and yams) which command good prices and can yield high income were cultivated on a relatively large scale mainly for processing and consumption by the PUFS. The RFS on the other hand, did not have large outputs but sold about 40 percent of whatever they produced irrespective of its quantity in order to generate cash to meet other household needs. Farm families in the PUFS sold only 19 percent of their total output implying that they produced crops mainly for household consumption. It also showed that households in both systems had to buy food stuff from markets to meet household food supply needs at a period when they were likely to be cash strapped-the hungry season. As such, households compromised the quality of food stuff purchased during such difficult times; this was found to be particularly common in the RFS. At least 40 percent of households in both systems purchased and consumed broken or degraded items from the market during the hungry period. A seasonal intervention is required for short-term remedies while improving storage, processing and transportation facilities will in the long run improve market efficiency and give households better rewards in terms of income and purchased food prices.

Food Insecurity Among HIV Sero-Positive Patients

Due to the uncertainties of job availabilities among rural communities, poverty stricken families find it hard to supply enough food to their family members. However, food insecurity has been defined by Weiser and Bangsberg as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate, safe foods or the inability to acquire personally acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. South African study by Mashau supported Mills and Bangsberg study by warning that hunger is the most extreme consequence of food insecurity. Tshililo also warned that immune system of a person with HIV and AIDS needs to be boosted with nutritious food. The broader concept encompassed problems with household food supply, quality of diet, feelings about the situation, and what effort was made to maintain household food supplies. The purpose of this study was to explore food insecurity among HI sero-positive patients in rural Vhembe district of Limpopo Province. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used to select family members who care for HI seropositive patients at home. In-depth interviews were conducted to 20 participants. Data were analyzed according to Tesch’s open-coding method. This study revealed that due to financial constrains; family socio-economic status is affected. Therefore patient’s conditions are deteriorated as well balanced diet cannot be maintained.

Assessment of Food Security Situation among Farming Households in Rural Areas of Kano State, Nigeria

Achieving food security is still a major problem for households in most rural areas of Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to assess the food security status among farming households in rural areas of Kano state, Nigeria. The study utilized a multistage random sampling technique to +select a sample of 120 rural farm households for interview. Data collected were analysed using percentages, mean score, logistic regression and food security index. Using the food security index approach, the study revealed that 74% of the respondents were food secure while 26% were food insecure. The results of the logistic regression revealed that educational level (p0.05; z = 1.95), sex (p0.05; z = 1.99), household size (p0.05; -4.29) and access to credit (p0.05; z = 2.4) were significant determinants of food security. Also, the major effect of food insecurity on the households include reduction in household income/ savings due to increased expenditure on food (M= 3.58), among others. The perceived coping strategies in cushioning the effects of food insecurity include engaging in off-farm and non-farm jobs to increase household income, (M= 2.77), among others. The study therefore recommends the fast tracking of already established policy measures aimed at reducing food insecurity in the country. Also, efforts aimed at reducing food insecurity among rural farming households should focus on increasing household income and food supply.

Better prepared next time: considering nutrition in an emergency response

Free to read on journal website (may need to create free account first) Cyclones, floods and bushfires are experienced in Australia every year, and Australia’s management of natural disasters centres on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.1 Although access to safe food is a basic human need, during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods there was minimal information available to guide household food preparedness and food supply to communities...

Analysis of Gender Contribution to Rural Household Food Supply (A Case Study of Askira/ Uba Local Government Area, Borno State)

The study was aimed at analysing Gender contribution to rural household food supply in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno state Nigeria. Primary data were obtained from a total of 77 respondents who were randomly selected for the study. Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and T-test. From the analysis, it was observed that majority (38.5%) of the male respondents had household sizes of 10-19 persons whereas majority (79%) of the female respondents had household sizes of 1-9 persons. Among the male respondents, majority (74%) had farm sizes between 3.5-8.5 hectares while the majority (73.7%) of the females had farm size of 1.5-2.5 hectares. The analysis showed that there was no significant difference between household food contribution of men and women respondents. This indicated that the male respondents contributed equally with the female respondents in the study area. Lack of credit ranked as the major constraints for male respondents while access to land ranked as the major constraints for the female respondents. Based on the findings, it was recommended agricultural production inputs like land should be made more accessible to rural people.

Convenience stores are the key food environment influence on nutrients available from household food supplies in Texas Border Colonias

BackgroundFew studies have focused on the relationship between the retail food environment and household food supplies. This study examines spatial access to retail food stores, food shopping habits, and nutrients available in household food supplies among 50 Mexican-origin families residing in Texas border colonias.MethodsThe design was cross-sectional; data were collected in the home March to June 2010 by promotora-researchers. Ground-truthed methods enumerated traditional (supercenters, supermarkets, grocery stores), convenience (convenience stores and food marts), and non-traditional (dollar stores, discount stores) retail food stores. Spatial access was computed using the network distance from each participant’s residence to each food store. Data included survey data and two household food inventories (HFI) of the presence and amount of food items in the home. The Spanish language interviewer-administered survey included demographics, transportation access, food purchasing, food and nutrition assistance program participation, and the 18-item Core Food Security Module. Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDS-R) was used to calculate HFI nutrients. Adult equivalent adjustment constants (AE), based on age and gender calorie needs, were calculated based on the age- and gender composition of each household and used to adjust HFI nutrients for household composition. Data were analyzed using bivariate analysis and linear regression models to determine the association of independent variables with the availability of each AE-adjusted nutrient.ResultsRegression models showed that households in which the child independently purchased food from a convenience store at least once a week had foods and beverages with increased amounts of total energy, total fat, and saturated fat. A greater distance to the nearest convenience store was associated with reduced amounts of total energy, vitamin D, total sugar, added sugar, total fat, and saturated fat. Participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was associated with lower household levels of total energy, calcium, vitamin C, sodium, vitamin D, and saturated fat. Spatial access and utilization of supermarkets and dollar stores were not associated with nutrient availability.ConclusionsAlthough household members frequently purchased food items from supermarkets or dollar stores, it was spatial access to and frequent utilization of convenience food stores that influenced the amount of nutrients present in Texas border colonia households. These findings also suggest that households which participate in NSLP have reduced AE-adjusted nutrients available in the home. The next step will target changes within convenience stores to improve in-store marketing of foods and beverages to children and adults.