This study suggests that economic incentives can contribute important nutrients to participants' diets and targeted vouchers provided by food assistance programs should continue to include culturally important foods and be aware of the cultural values of their participants.
Proportionately more Spanish speakers had greater perceived behavioral control for redeeming CV vouchers at CFM. Not enough variety of produce offered, not knowing what produce to buy, and unfavorable weather conditions were proportionately lower among English speakers than Spanish speakers. Proportionately more Spanish speakers identified availability of organic produce, other items for sale than just produce, and entertainment provided as a factor to redeem CV vouchers. Approximately 43% of English speakers identified unfavorable weather as a barrier to attend CFM.
In summary, we found that BMI and diet quality changes of Head Start preschool girls were correlated with short-term changes in household food insecurity.
The current findings suggest that households with very low food security tend to shop more frequently in stores that have less-healthful options, such as convenience/dollar stores.
Including military members’ Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) as income when determining eligibility for SNAP is not only inconsistent with the treatment of BAH by other federal programs, it has made thousands of struggling families ineligible for vital SNAP benefits. In order to survive, they are turning to food pantries on and off military bases. The BAH is excluded as income for the purposes of calculating income taxes and eligibility for Women, Infants and Children and Head Start programs. The BAH should be consistently excluded as income for the purposes of determining eligibility for all nutrition assistance programs.
Increased concern about future overweight and controlling feeding styles represent potential mechanisms by which food insecurity could be related to obesity. Obesity prevention should aim to decrease food insecurity and to reduce controlling feeding styles in families who remain food insecure.
Recent paternal incarceration, defined as incarceration in the past 2 years, is associated with an increased likelihood of food insecurity among 5-year-old children, but only among children living with their biological fathers prior to his incarceration. These associations cannot be explained by the mechanisms considered, including post-incarceration changes in economic well-being, parental relationships, maternal parenting, and maternal health.
A review of the current literature revealed that an adverse association between food insecurity and dietary patterns is well supported. The association between food insecurity and obesity is strongest for women, with results for men and children being mixed.
In the Mid-Ohio Valley Region of West Virginia, food insecure women in the West Virginia WIC program had a greater risk of depression, higher food pantry use, lower rates of reliable transportation to obtain food, and lower use of extra methods to obtain food such as hunting and fishing in comparison to their food secure counterparts in the WIC program. Women who did not participate in the West Virginia WIC FMNP program had lower produce intake related behaviors, including perceived control, enabling domain, and self-efficacy than those that did.
Recently hospitalized low-income children and girls had significantly greater odds of living in food insecure households. Of potentially eligible hospitalized children, 26.9% had not received Women, Infants, and Children benefits and 31.0% had not received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in the past year.
