Dutch food bank recipients have poorer dietary intakes than the general and low-socioeconomic status Dutch adult population

Neter, Judith E.; Dijkstra, S.; Dekkers, Arnold; Ocké, Marga C.; Visser, Marjolein; Brouwer, Ingeborg A.

doi:10.1007/s00394-017-1540-x

Cited by 18 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Suggested changes at the governmental level included improving existing resources, for example improving the quality and healthfulness of the Food Bank parcel content. Opposite to the perceptions of our participants, most participants of another Dutch study were satisfied with the food parcels and perceived them as healthy [49], even though their content did not conform to Dutch nutritional guidelines [13]. Another proposed governmental intervention was decreasing healthy food prices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Needs and perceptions regarding healthy eating among people at risk of food insecurity: a qualitative analysis

Velde

Schuilenburg

Thrivikraman

et al. 2019

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundHealthy eating behaviour is an essential determinant of overall health. This behaviour is generally poor among people at risk of experiencing food insecurity, which may be caused by many factors including perceived higher costs of healthy foods, financial stress, inadequate nutritional knowledge, and inadequate skills required for healthy food preparation. Few studies have examined how these factors influence eating behaviour among people at risk of experiencing food insecurity. We therefore aimed to gain a better understanding of the needs and perceptions regarding healthy eating in this target group.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative exploration grounded in data using inductive analyses with 10 participants at risk of experiencing food insecurity. The analysis using an inductive approach identified four core factors influencing eating behaviour: Health related topics; Social and cultural influences; Influences by the physical environment; and Financial influences.ResultsOverall, participants showed adequate nutrition knowledge. However, eating behaviour was strongly influenced by both social factors (e.g. child food preferences and cultural food habits), and physical environmental factors (e.g. temptations in the local food environment). Perceived barriers for healthy eating behaviour included poor mental health, financial stress, and high food prices. Participants had a generally conscious attitude towards their financial situation, reflected in their strategies to cope with a limited budget. Food insecurity was mostly mentioned in reference to the past or to others and not to participants’ own current experiences. Participants were familiar with several existing resources to reduce food-related financial strain (e.g. debt assistance) and generally had a positive attitude towards these resources. An exception was the Food Bank, of which the food parcel content was not well appreciated. Proposed interventions to reduce food-related financial strain included distributing free meals, facilitating social contacts, increasing healthy food supply in the neighbourhood, and lowering prices of healthy foods.ConclusionThe insights from this study increase understanding of factors influencing eating behaviour of people at risk of food insecurity. Therefore, this study could inform future development of potential interventions aiming at helping people at risk of experiencing food insecurity to improve healthy eating, thereby decreasing the risk of diet-related diseases.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Needs and perceptions regarding healthy eating among people at risk of food insecurity: a qualitative analysis

Velde

Schuilenburg

Thrivikraman

et al. 2019

Int J Equity Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This could be accomplished by ensuring that food aid programs are providing healthy food baskets for low-income individuals and empowering these vulnerable individuals for healthy eating. Several countries, especially European countries, fail in their food aid programs due to a low capacity to provide nutritionally adequate foods ( 40 ). Toward this end, Portugal has recently developed and implemented a new food aid program for low-income households, which considers the nutritional and food recommendations for healthy eating ( 41 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity Is Associated with Low Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Adverse Health Conditions in Portuguese Adults

Gregório

Rodrigues

Graça

et al. 2018

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundFood insecurity is a limited or uncertain access to the adequate food and is a significant public health problem. We aimed to assess determinants of food insecurity and the corresponding health impact in Portugal, a southern European country that faced a severe economic crisis.MethodsData were derived from the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Cohort Study (EpiDoC), a population-based cohort of 10,661 individuals that were representative of the Portuguese adult population and followed since 2011. A cross-sectional analysis of the third wave of evaluation (EpiDoC 3) was performed between 2015 and 2016. Food insecurity was assessed with the household food insecurity psychometric scale. Socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD), self-reported non-communicable disease, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (EQ-5D-3L), physical function (HAQ score), and health resource consumption information was also collected.ResultsThe estimated proportion of food insecurity was 19.3% among a total of 5,653 participants. Food insecure households had low adherence to the MD (OR = 0.44; 95% IC 0.31–0.62). In addition, diabetes (OR = 1.69; 95% IC 1.20–2.40), rheumatic disease (OR = 1.67; 95% IC 1.07–2.60), and depression symptoms (OR = 1.50; 95% IC 1.09–2.06) were independently associated with food insecurity. On average, food insecure households had a lower HRQoL (OR = 0.18; 95% IC 0.11–0.31) and a higher disability (OR = 2.59; 95% IC 2.04–3.29). A significantly higher proportion of food insecure households reported being hospitalized (OR = 1.57; 95% IC 1.18–2.07) and had more public hospital medical appointments (OR = 1.48; 95% IC 1.12–1.94) in the previous 12 months.ConclusionWe found that food insecurity is highly prevalent in Portugal. Food insecurity was associated with low adherence to the MD, non-communicable chronic diseases, lower quality of life, and higher health resource consumption. Therefore, this study provides valuable insight into the relationship between food security and the diet and health of the population during an economic crisis.

show abstract

“…Development of the intervention was based on the results of our previous studies in which we showed that (1) the provided amounts of saturated fat in a single-person food parcel for one single day were higher, whereas the provided amounts of fruits were lower than the nutritional guidelines [13], and (2) that the majority of the Dutch food bank recipients had lower intakes than dietary reference intakes for dietary fiber, fruit, vegetables, and fish, and a higher intake for saturated fat [16]. Based on these results, we expected to be able to improve dietary intake by providing extra fruit and vegetables to the food parcel, and remove unhealthy snacks from the food parcel.…”

Section: Development Interventionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Improving the dietary quality of food parcels leads to improved dietary intake in Dutch food bank recipients—effects of a randomized controlled trial

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Since food banks have a strong influence on recipients' diets, and seem to have difficulties in supporting healthy diets, improving the dietary quality of food parcels is important. The aim of our study was to assess whether improving the dietary quality of food parcels, using different strategies, can positively impact the actual dietary intake of Dutch food bank recipients. Methods This randomized cross-over controlled trial (Trial ID: ISRCTN40554133) with four intervention conditions [(1) Control (standard food parcel), (2) snacks-(standard food parcel with replacement of unhealthy snacks by staple foods), (3) FV + (standard food parcel plus the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables), (4) snacks-+ FV + (standard food parcel with replacement of unhealthy snacks by staple foods plus the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables)] included 163 food bank recipients, from three food banks. At baseline, participants filled in a questionnaire. Dietary intake data were collected through 24-h recalls after both intervention conditions at 4 and 8 weeks follow-up. Primary outcome was daily fruit and vegetable intake, secondary outcomes were daily dietary intakes of food groups and nutrients. Results Multi-level linear regression analysis, using a two-level model, showed a higher mean daily fruit intake in participants in the FV + condition than in participants in the Control condition (delta (δ): 74 [40.3;107.6] g). Both mean daily fruit and vegetable intake were higher in participants in the Snacks-+ FV + condition than in participants in the Control condition

show abstract

Dutch food bank recipients have poorer dietary intakes than the general and low-socioeconomic status Dutch adult population

Cited by 18 publications

References 31 publications

Needs and perceptions regarding healthy eating among people at risk of food insecurity: a qualitative analysis

Needs and perceptions regarding healthy eating among people at risk of food insecurity: a qualitative analysis

Food Insecurity Is Associated with Low Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Adverse Health Conditions in Portuguese Adults

Improving the dietary quality of food parcels leads to improved dietary intake in Dutch food bank recipients—effects of a randomized controlled trial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About