“Come with us for a week, for a month, and see how much food lasts for you:” A Qualitative Exploration of Food Insecurity in East Harlem, New York City

Abstract

Background Food insecurity refers to uncertain access to food on a consistent basis and the stress experienced by families who worry about having sufficient resources to provide balanced meals in their households. Food insecurity has a disproportionate influence on people of color. A robust body of evidence links food insecurity to poor health outcomes.Objective To document experiences of food insecurity among linguistically and ethnically diverse residents of the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City by exploring the ways in which food availability and cost intersect with household budgets, personal preferences, and shopping strategies.Design In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with adult residents of New York City's East Harlem neighborhood to provide insights about the links between food insecurity, well-being, and quality of life.Participants/setting Thirty-seven adult residents of East Harlem were recruited through purposive sampling. Eligibility requirements included living in an East Harlem zip code (10029 or 10035); being aged 18 years or older; being the main food shopper and food decision-maker in the household; and speaking English, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese. The study was conducted from February to May 2018. Statistical analyses performedInterviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Codes were organized into broad thematic topics and cross-case analyses were conducted. ResultsParticipants discussed overall perceptions of food insecurity and seven themes related to the challenges of and strategies for coping with food insecurity: intermittent vs chronic food insecurity, shopping and budgeting strategies, pantries as a vital community resource, social support systems, food insecurity and health, frustration with an unjust system, and pride in "making it work."Conclusions To manage food insecurity, many study participants carefully managed food spending, dedicated substantial time to visiting stores and accessing food pantries, and relied on a public benefits cycle that left many without sufficient financial resources at the end of each month.

“We Want to Eat and be Healthy just like Everybody Else:” How Social Infrastructures Affect Nutrition Equity in a Racialized Urban Community in the United States

“…Consistent with prior literature, people in this study also exhibited food resourcefulness and cooking knowledge to overcome barriers presented by social infrastructures [ 13 , 45 , 46 , 49 ]. Those experiencing food security, in particular, demonstrated food agency (an improved ability to acquire and prepare food to meet their household food needs) through their use of available resources (for example, food budgeting) and skills (for example, stretching leftovers) compared with people experiencing food insecurity [ 50 ].…”

“…This inequity was illustrated in reflections of our study participants who described the lack of access to fresh foods in their community despite the demand being present. Instead, people described an overabundance of fast-food outlets, corner stores, and liquor stores, which is consistent with literature focused on food insecurity and food environments in other urban areas [ 13 , 45 , 46 ].…”

“…To cope with food insecurity, people use different strategies and resources [ [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] ], which we describe as social infrastructures [ 15 , 16 ]. We draw our conceptualization of social infrastructures from the United States Surgeon General [ 16 ] to include the programs, policies, physical environments, and relationships that foster vital social connections for people to gain resources (economic, emotional, material, etc.)…”

Predictors of Food Insecurity and Childhood Hunger in the Bronx During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Food services were also limited in quantity of food provided and the number of nutritious, palatable options (Gany et al, 2013 ). To manage experiences of food insecurity, East Harlem residents carefully managed food spending, dedicated substantial time to visiting stores and accessing food pantries, and relied on a cycle of public benefits (i.e., cash assistance and SNAP) that left many without sufficient financial resources by the end of each month (Nieves et al, 2021 ). Food pantry services may be greatly improved through the coordination of public agencies to influence the food system and advocate for local policies, including neighborhood zoning and labor regulations, to improve food access (Cohen & Ilieva, 2021 ).…”

Transportation and language access as crucial pillars for an immigrant-inclusive 21st-century food security program

“…Carney and Krause show through qualitative case studies that language access and immigration status are important determinants of food access for Mexican and Central American migrants in Santa Barbara county 21 . An in-depth qualitative study of adults living in East Harlem demonstrated that many Spanish-and Chinese-speaking adults' shopping patterns were dictated by shopping at stores where food was cheapest or where the grocer spoke their language 22 . https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980023000575 Published online by Cambridge University Press…”