Trajectories of food bank use among new users in Quebec, Canada: Evidence from the pathways study

This study describes trajectories of food bank (FB) use among new users in relation with change in food insecurity status.

The Pathways Study followed 1001 new FB users across four regions of Québec, Canada, over a two-year period, from September 2018 to January 2020. Participants reported past-month FB use in two consecutive interviews following a baseline assessment, leading to 24 consecutive measures of monthly FB use. Household food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Security Survey Module. Group-based trajectory analysis was used to identify trajectories of FB use.

Six trajectories were identified, including chronic use (30 % of the sample), infrequent use (11 %), withdrawal after recruitment (22 %), fast withdrawal (14 %), slow withdrawal (15 %), and intermittent (8 %). Chronic FB usage was associated with lower education levels and rural residency, suggesting economic challenges and limited opportunities in such areas. About a third of FB users changed their status from food insecure at baseline to food secure at the end of follow-up.

These findings challenge the perception of FB users as a homogenous group and emphasize the need for tailored approaches to address food insecurity.