Abstract
In the state of Georgia, USA, 1 in every 8 people are food insecure. To help alleviate this problem food banks, consolidate the collection of donated and salvaged food to mainly food pantries for distribution to communities that are at a high-risk of food insecurity. Augusta, is a large rural city in Georgia with the downtown area designated as food desert. The nearest grocery store in the downtown area requires crossing state lines to South Carolina. The study accessed the risk of food insecurity and the needs of food pantries recipients in Augusta, Georgia. Researchers administered a questionnaire to food pantry recipients (n=100). The cross-sectional study collected demographic, access to cooking facilities, nutrition knowledge, perception of healthy eating, food access and availability data. The analysis used Chi-square statistic and Fisher’s exact test were used for testing for associations between stratified groups. There was statistical significance between insufficient food and preparing home-cooked meals (p=0.0449). Respondents with insufficient food were more likely to skip meals (p=0.0022). A significant relationship was also observed for the size of the household, cooking facilities, skipping meals, and food availability. Food banks are useful in increasing food access and reducing food insecurity. However, the provision of high quality nutritious foods needs addressing. The incorporation of nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and food sampling at food banks may be effective in improving nutritional status and health outcomes in high-risk communities.
Presenters
Gianluca De LeoProfessor, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Augusta University, United States Kendra Mhoon
Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics, University of Houston Downtown, Texas, United States Claire Hudson
Frederick Food Security Network Manager, Biology, Hood College, United States Judith Anglin
Associate Professor - Program Director (MS-Nutrition), Nutrition, Widener University, Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Food access, Food insecurity, Food desert, Food bank
