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Objective: Examine relationships between food security, diet quality, and body mass index (BMI) among food pantry users. Methods: Convenience sample of 212 food pantry clients in Hartford, CT from June, 2010 to May, 2011. Main outcomes included food security (United States Department of Agriculture module), fruit and vegetable consumption (Block Screener), and BMI (stadiometer and digital medical scale). Chi-square tests, Spearman correlations, and logistic regression models were analyzed. Results: Over half of the sample (50.5%) had very low food security. Mean BMI was 29.5 kg/m2. Age was positively associated with food security (P < .01). Food-secure participants were twice as likely to eat fruit, vegetables, and fiber as food-insecure participants (P - .04). Women were 4 times as likely to be obese as men (P < .01), yet food insecurity was not associated with obesity in this sample. Conclusions and Implications: Ensuring the nutritional adequacy of donated food is an important consideration for food donors and pantry staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Examine relationships between adult obesity, childhood overweight, and food insecurity. Design: Cross-sectional retrospective study. Setting: Community settings in Hartford, Connecticut. Participants: Convenience sample of 200 parents and their 212 children, aged 2-12. Main Outcome Measures: Adult obesity (Body Mass Index [BMI] > 30), childhood overweight (BMI-for-age > 95th percentile), and household food security (U.S. Department of Agriculture module). Analysis: Chi-square tests between weight status and socioeconomic characteristics. Multinomial regression analyses to determine risk factors for adult obesity and childhood overweight. Results: Over half of parents (51%) were obese, and almost one-third of children (31.6%) were overweight. Over half of households were food insecure. Food insecure adults were significantly more likely to be obese as those who were food secure (Odds Ratio [OR]=2.45, p=.02). Being a girl and having an obese parent doubled the likelihood of children being overweight (OR=2.56, P=.01; OR=2.32, P=.03). Children with family incomes below 100% of poverty were half as likely to be overweight as those with higher incomes (OR=.47, P=.05). Food insecurity did not increase odds of childhood overweight. Conclusions and Implications: Obesity prevention programs and policies need to address food insecurity and gender as key risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine participation in the Food Stamp Program, food pantries, and soup kitchens and to identify reasons food-insecure households choose not to participate. Design: Cross-sectional retrospective cohort study. Setting: In respondents' homes. Participants: 330 randomly selected low-income households (below 185% of poverty). Main Outcome Measures: Participation in any of 3 public or private food assistance programs and barriers to participation in each program. Analysis: Chi-square tests of association between program participation and sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression tested for associations between program participation and ethnicity and between food security status and household composition while controlling for potential confounding factors. Results: Controlling for socioeconomic status, Black households are less than half as likely to receive food stamps (odds ratio [OR] = 0.49; P < .02) as Hispanic households. Hispanic households are more likely than non-Hispanic households to say that they feel uncomfortable using food pantries (P < .01). Elderly households are less than half as likely to receive food stamps (OR = 0.44; P = .04) as nonelderly households and are more likely to say that they feel uncomfortable receiving food stamps (P = .05). Conclusions and Implications: Low-income households' perceptions of which programs are socially acceptable differ by race and age. Outreach for food stamps and private food assistance should accommodate these differences so that food-insecure households can benefit from all available food assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US food banking network serves about 46.5 million individuals with food insecurity yearly. People living with food insecurity are at risk of diet-related chronic diseases and evidence suggests that foods available in food pantries are mostly nutritionally poor. In response, the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) system ranks food into green, yellow, and red categories based on the levels of saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. SWAP is designed to increase the supply and demand for healthy food in pantries. To assess the nutritional quality of clients' selections before and after implementing the SWAP system. Availability of green, yellow, and red items was captured pre- and post-intervention using a pantry inventory assessment. For the intervention, foods in the pantry were rearranged by SWAP ranking and signage was added to educate clients about which items to choose often (green), sometimes (yellow), or rarely (red). Two-hundred twenty-two clients participated in the pre-post study. Clients' selections were recorded and the proportion of green and red selections in total and per food group were calculated. Primary analyses compared the proportion of green and red foods chosen by clients before and after SWAP implementation using independent t-tests. A regression model was used to compare clients' selection pre to post while controlling for food pantry inventory. There was not a significant change in the overall pantry inventory over time. However, the proportion of healthy (ie, green) food selections significantly increased and less healthy (ie, red) food selections significantly decreased. The overall improvement in nutritional quality of the clients' carts remained significant while controlling for the pantry inventory. Results suggest that nutrition information provided through stoplight signage and clear messages on items to choose often, sometimes, and rarely can shift client choices in the pantry setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]