Relationships between barriers to food pantry use, healthy food access and diet quality among food pantry users

Abstract

Relationships between Barriers to Food Pantry Use, Healthy Food Access and Diet Quality among Food Pantry Users. Study 1: To determine whether reporting barriers to use was associated with (1) demographic characteristics of users, (2) frequency of pantry visits and amount of food accessed, and (3) perceived satisfaction with experiences visiting the food pantry using quantitative data collection and analysis methods. We hypothesized that reporting barriers to pantry use would be associated with demographic characteristics of users, limited frequency of pantry visits and a smaller amount of food accessed, and with a less satisfactory food pantry visit experience. Study 2: To examine the relationships between perceptions of limited healthy food options in stores and pantries and potential diet quality of food pantry users. We hypothesized that perceptions of limited access to healthy food options in stores and pantries would be related to diet quality based on intake of fruits and vegetables, convenience and fast food meals and a lower frequency of scratch cooking.