IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i13p6979-d585028.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Associations between Food Pantry Size and Distribution Method and Healthfulness of Foods Received by Clients in Baltimore City Food Pantries

Author

Listed:
  • Yuxuan Gu

    (Center for Health Policy Studies, Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
    Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Shahmir H. Ali

    (Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA)

  • Sally Yan

    (Family League of Baltimore City, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA)

  • Bengucan Gunen

    (Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Reuben Park

    (Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA)

  • Lisa Poirier

    (Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Hope C. Craig

    (Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Hengjin Dong

    (Center for Health Policy Studies, Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Joel Gittelsohn

    (Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the association of the overall nutritional quality and the weight share of specific types of foods received by food pantry clients with food pantry size and distribution method. Data on healthy food weights using the gross weight share (GWS) of select foods and the validated Food Assortment Score Tool (FAST) were collected from 75 food pantry clients in Baltimore, Maryland. The average FAST score across the study population was 63.0 (SD: 10.4). Overall, no statistically significant differences in average FAST scores by pantry size and distribution method were found. However, among client-choice pantries, clients of small pantries had higher scores ( p < 0.05) while among medium pantries, clients of traditional pantries had higher scores ( p < 0.01). Subgroup analysis of GWS was stratified by pantry size and distribution methods. Findings suggested multi-level, multi-component interventions combining environmental strategies are needed to enhance the healthfulness of foods received by clients. Our analysis provided data to consider further refinements of pantry interventions and planning of more rigorous research on factors influencing the effectiveness of pantry interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuxuan Gu & Shahmir H. Ali & Sally Yan & Bengucan Gunen & Reuben Park & Lisa Poirier & Hope C. Craig & Hengjin Dong & Joel Gittelsohn, 2021. "Associations between Food Pantry Size and Distribution Method and Healthfulness of Foods Received by Clients in Baltimore City Food Pantries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:13:p:6979-:d:585028
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/13/6979/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/13/6979/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Walter Willett, 2021. "Mediterranean Dietary Pyramid," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-2, April.
    2. Lluís Serra-Majem & Laura Tomaino & Sandro Dernini & Elliot M. Berry & Denis Lairon & Joy Ngo de la Cruz & Anna Bach-Faig & Lorenzo M. Donini & Francesc-Xavier Medina & Rekia Belahsen & Suzanne Piscop, 2020. "Updating the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid towards Sustainability: Focus on Environmental Concerns," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, November.
    3. Maria Luz Fernandez & Dele Raheem & Fernando Ramos & Conrado Carrascosa & Ariana Saraiva & António Raposo, 2021. "Highlights of Current Dietary Guidelines in Five Continents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-9, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. António Raposo & Fernando Ramos & Dele Raheem & Ariana Saraiva & Conrado Carrascosa, 2021. "Food Safety, Security, Sustainability and Nutrition as Priority Objectives of the Food Sector," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-4, July.
    2. Taissa Pereira de Araújo & Milena M. de Moraes & Vânia Magalhães & Cláudia Afonso & Cristina Santos & Sara S. P. Rodrigues, 2021. "Ultra-Processed Food Availability and Noncommunicable Diseases: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Noemi Boqué & Lucía Tarro & Alice Rosi & Helena Torrell & Guillermo Saldaña & Elisa Luengo & Zeev Rachman & António Pires & Nuno Tiago Tavares & Ana Salomé Pires & Maria Filomena Botelho & Pedro Mena , 2021. "Study Protocol of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial to Tackle Obesity through a Mediterranean Diet vs. a Traditional Low-Fat Diet in Adolescents: The MED4Youth Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-16, May.
    4. Vanda Andrade & Stefano Quarta & Marta Tagarro & Lence Miloseva & Marika Massaro & Mihail Chervenkov & Teodora Ivanova & Rui Jorge & Viktorija Maksimova & Katarina Smilkov & Darinka Gjorgieva Ackova &, 2022. "Exploring Hedonic and Eudaimonic Items of Well-Being in Mediterranean and Non-Mediterranean Countries: Influence of Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Edwina Mingay & Melissa Hart & Serene Yoong & Alexis Hure, 2021. "Why We Eat the Way We Do: A Call to Consider Food Culture in Public Health Initiatives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-10, November.
    6. Maria Luz Fernandez & Dele Raheem & Fernando Ramos & Conrado Carrascosa & Ariana Saraiva & António Raposo, 2021. "Highlights of Current Dietary Guidelines in Five Continents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-9, March.
    7. Peng Cheng & Houtian Tang & Yue Dong & Ke Liu & Ping Jiang & Yaolin Liu, 2021. "Knowledge Mapping of Research on Land Use Change and Food Security: A Visual Analysis Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2023. "A Systematic Review of Agricultural Sustainability Indicators," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    9. Marta Ros-Baró & Violeida Sánchez-Socarrás & Maria Santos-Pagès & Anna Bach-Faig & Alicia Aguilar-Martínez, 2022. "Consumers’ Acceptability and Perception of Edible Insects as an Emerging Protein Source," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, November.
    10. Claudia Di Rosa & Greta Lattanzi & Chiara Spiezia & Elena Imperia & Sara Piccirilli & Ivan Beato & Gianluigi Gaspa & Vanessa Micheli & Federica De Joannon & Noemi Vallecorsa & Massimo Ciccozzi & Giuse, 2022. "Mediterranean Diet versus Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet: Effects of Reaching 5% Body Weight Loss on Body Composition in Subjects with Overweight and with Obesity—A Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-18, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:13:p:6979-:d:585028. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.