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Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Relationship Between Local Food Environment and Reliance on Food Pantries: Insights from a Statewide Client Survey in
Harshada Karnik1,2, Hikaru Peterson2, Laura Bohen3
1Center for Public Health Systems, University of Minnesota-School of Public Health, Minneapolis, United States.
Aim:
Food pantries are a vital component of the emergency food environment in the United States, yet little is known about how low-income households use food pantries in relation to the food retail outlets located around them. This study investigated the relationship between the food environment (characterized by the number of retail stores around food pantries and the local cost of food) and the reliance on food pantries among their clients.
Subject And Methods:
The analysis draws on data from a statewide survey conducted in 2017 among food pantry clients (n = 4,267) in Minnesota. We documented the characteristics of food pantry clients and food retail establishments around them and the relationship between food pantry usage and the retail food environment using logistic regressions.
Results:
We found that high reliance on food pantries was positively associated with the area-level cost of food (OR = 1.16, p<0.01) and negatively associated with the number of food retail outlets around the food pantries (OR = 0.98, p<0.01).
Conclusion:
Our findings confirm food pantries are filling a gap in food access and the retail food environment and serve as a steady source of food for their clients. Findings suggest the need to reconsider food pantry offerings, particularly in locations where they fill the void left by food retail stores to serve clients adequately.
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