Background Food bank users suffer high food insecurity. Food insecurity increases risk for chronic health conditions. However, chronic pain and its relation to food insecurity among food bank users is unknown. Knowledge about populations with chronic pain is important to direct appropriate public health nutritional strategies. Methods Participants completed a survey including sleep, pain, depressive symptoms and food insecurity measures. Descriptive statistics characterized the burden of chronic pain among the sample, and a series of chi-square and t-tests assessed for demographic differences between food bank users who reported pain compared to those who did not. Logistic regression tested for variables predicting food insecurity. Results Within the sample (N = 207), 53% reported a chronic pain diagnosis. Adults with pain were more likely to receive food stamps and to have a mental health condition than those without pain. Regression analyses revealed that depressive symptoms and chronic pain significantly predicted food insecurity when controlling for age and gender. Conclusions Exploring the link between depression, pain and nutritional resources may enhance understanding of causal relationships driving food insecurity. Public health officials should address nutritional needs of adults including those with chronic pain who use food bank services.

Healthy eating relates to improved health, yet adult food bank users report difficulty accessing healthy foods. Registered nurses can promote healthy eating for food bank recipients by understanding perceived obstacles and facilitators. Urban food bank users completed a survey, and qualitative content analysis was used to analyze four open-ended questions regarding perceptions of healthy eating. In total, 196 adults were included in analysis. Two main categories were identified as perceived facilitators and barriers to healthy eating. Themes from the facilitator category included internal resources and external resources. Themes from the barrier category were personal challenges and environmental issues. Healthy eating is a complex behavior that requires personal motivation, skills, and social/environmental supports to be successfully executed among food bank recipients. Nurses should advocate to leverage food bank resources for healthier eating by offering nurtition counseling at events, optimizing access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and decreasing unhealthy food options.