Nutrient intakes in socially disadvantaged groups in Ireland

Lee, Pauline

doi:10.1079/pns19900034

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 29 publications

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“…The variables included were those that showed some association with at least one of the intake variables in prior univariate analyses. They encompass social structural factors, family status, and smoking behavior-all variables demonstrated to affect food behavior among adult women in other studies (Bolton-Smith et al 1991, Ghadirian and Shatenstein 1996, Hulshof et al 1991, Lee 1990, Roos et al 1998, Whichelow et al 1991. A dichotomous variable was constructed to differentiate between households reporting hunger (including both moderate and severe hunger classifications together) and those where no hunger was apparent (the reference category).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's Dietary Intakes in the Context of Household Food Insecurity

Tarasuk¹,

Beaton²

1999

The Journal of Nutrition

196

129

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A study of food insecurity and nutritional adequacy was conducted with a sample of 153 women in families receiving emergency food assistance in Toronto, Canada. Contemporaneous data on dietary intake and household food security over the past 30 d were available for 145 of the women. Analyses of these data revealed that women who reported hunger in their households during the past 30 d also reported systematically lower intakes of energy and a number of nutrients. The effect of household-level hunger on intake persisted even when other economic, socio-cultural, and behavioral influences on reported dietary intake were considered. Estimated prevalences of inadequacy in excess of 15% were noted for Vitamin A, folate, iron, and magnesium in this sample, suggesting that the low levels of intake associated with severe household food insecurity are in a range that could put women at risk of nutrient deficiencies. J. Nutr. 129: 672-679, 1999.Food insecurity, "the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways" (Anderson 1990), has become a matter of increasing concern among western nations in recent years. The assessment of this construct typically occurs through self-reported appraisals of the adequacy and security of the household food supply and individuals' accounts of their experiences of food deprivation. However, an understanding of the relationship between household or individual-level food insecurity and dietary adequacy is imperative in appraising the consequences of food insecurity for nutritional health and well-being. Some indication that perceived adequacy of the household food supply is related to individual members' dietary intakes has come from observed associations between household food sufficiency status and dietary intake data (Cristofar and Basiotis 1992, Rose and Oliveira 1997) and between household food security status and the available household food supply (Kendall et al. 1995) and dietary intake (Kendall et al. 1996).A study undertaken to assess food insecurity and nutritional adequacy among women in families who seek emergency food relief (Tarasuk and Beaton, unpublished data) provided an opportunity to examine the relationship between women's dietary intakes and a comprehensive, contemporaneous measure of household food security status. In this paper, women's intakes are examined in relation to reported household food security status and presence or absence of hunger in the household. To examine whether the women's intakes were in a range that suggested possible nutritional problems, the apparent prevalence of nutrient inadequacy was estimated. METHODSParticipant recruitment and data collection. Participants were recruited on a first come, first served basis when they came to seek food assistance at one of a stratified random sample of 21 of the 77 emergency food hamper programs operating in Metropolitan Toronto. (These are ad hoc, community-based, charitable food prog...

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