Food Insecurity among Low-Income Households with Children Participating in a School-Based Fruit and Vegetable Co-Op

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a nutrition intervention on food insecurity among low-income households with children. Data were collected from 371 parent–child dyads in a quasi-experimental evaluation study of a 1-year intervention (n = 6 intervention schools receiving Brighter Bites, n = 6 wait-list control schools), and longitudinal follow-up of the intervention group 2 years post-intervention in Houston, Texas. Data were collected at three timepoints: at baseline and 1 year for all participants, and at 2 year follow-up for the intervention group (the wait-list control group received the intervention during that time). At baseline, most parents reported food insecurity (60.6%; 70% intervention group, 53.6% control). Food insecurity decreased significantly from 70.0% to 56.9% [β = −1.02 (−1.65, −0.38); p = 0.002] among intervention participants immediately post-intervention, and to 44.4% at 2-year follow-up [β = 0.21 (0.11, 0.41); p < 0.001]. Food insecurity also decreased among the control group, and between-group changes were not significant. While we cannot attribute changes in food insecurity to Brighter Bites (possibly due to small sample size), we did see promising impacts of the program to be assessed in future fully powered studies.

An Increase in Food Insecurity Correlated with an Increase in Plasma Triglycerides among Latinx Children

“…Furthermore, TX Sprouts did not provide food for children to bring home. Many of the studies successful in reducing food security provided children with food for their families [ 14 , 15 ]; however, this was not a part of the TX Sprouts study design.…”

“…Because children’s metabolic health has been associated with their health as an adult [ 13 ], many nutrition interventions aim to improve children’s metabolic markers, yet few attempt to accomplish this by enhancing food security. The few experimental studies examining the effect of nutrition interventions on household food security yield mixed results [ [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] ]. Brighter Bites, a school-based food-coop intervention that provided fresh produce and nutrition education to primarily low-income Hispanic children, decreased household food insecurity rates from 70.0% to 56.9% immediately postintervention, and further decreased to 44.4% at the 2-y follow-up [ 14 , 15 ].…”

“…The few experimental studies examining the effect of nutrition interventions on household food security yield mixed results [ [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] ]. Brighter Bites, a school-based food-coop intervention that provided fresh produce and nutrition education to primarily low-income Hispanic children, decreased household food insecurity rates from 70.0% to 56.9% immediately postintervention, and further decreased to 44.4% at the 2-y follow-up [ 14 , 15 ]. Although Brighter Bites showed the ability of a nutrition intervention to improve food security status, it was a quasi-experimental nonrandomized study.…”

The Folly of Food Waste amidst Food Insecurity in the United States: A Literature Review

“…Another cluster randomized controlled trial among parent-child dyads in the southern U.S. (n = 371) tested the extent to which an educational nutrition program impacted household food insecurity [116]. Results indicated larger decreases in the proportion of food insecure participants within the intervention group at the immediate post-intervention (D = -0.32, SE = -0.07; p = 0.002) and two-year post intervention (D = -0.49, SE = -0.22; p < 0.001) in comparison to those in an active control group that received a different educational program intervention [116].…”

Nutritional Value of Meals Designed for a School-Based Food Aid Program and Comparison with Similar Commercial Products: An Example of Good Practice from the DIATROFI Program

“…It should also be noted that children receive daily a fruit serving, further ensuring adequate consumption of dietary fiber and achieving one of the main aims of the Program, which is the limitation of food insecurity [4]. Similar programs that distribute daily fruits and/or vegetables have also proved to effectively reduce food insecurity [38]. Ensuring the sufficient consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole-wheat products, is a core aim of the DIATROFI Program.…”