Abstract
The burden of obesity disproportionately influences poor health outcomes in rural communities in the United States. Various social and environmental factors contribute to inadequate food access and availability in rural areas, influencing dietary intakes and food insecurity rates. This study aims to identify patterns related to food insecurity and fruit and vegetable consumption within a SNAP-eligible and low-income, highly obese rural Appalachian community. A prospective cohort was implemented to identify gaps in resources addressing obesity and food insecurity challenges. SAS 9.4 software was used to examine differences in dietary intakes and shopping practices among SNAP participants. Among participants (n = 152), most reported an annual household income less than USD 20,000 (n = 90, 60.4%), 29.1% reported food insecurity, and 39.5% reported receiving SNAP benefits within the last month. The overall mean FV intake was 3.46 daily servings (95% CI: 3.06–3.91) among all participants. SNAP participation was associated with food insecurity (p = 0.007) and those participating in SNAP were two times more likely to report being food insecure (OR = 2.707, 95% CI: 1.317, 5.563), relative to non-participants. These findings further depict the need for intervention, as the burden of food insecurity persists. Tailoring health-promoting initiatives to consider rurality and SNAP participation is vital for sustainable success among these populations.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-19-2020
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176037
Funding Information
This research was funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO), Cooperative Agreement number 1NU58DP0065690100.
Repository Citation
DeWitt, Emily M.; Gillespie, Rachel; Norman-Burgdolf, Heather; Cardarelli, Kathryn; Slone, Stacey A.; and Gustafson, Alison A., "Rural SNAP Participants and Food Insecurity: How Can Communities Leverage Resources to Meet the Growing Food Insecurity Status of Rural and Low-Income Residents?" (2020). Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications. 18.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/foodsci_facpub/18
Included in
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Public Health Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, v. 17, issue 7, 6037.
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).