Household Food Security and Use of Community Food Sources and Food Assistance Programs Among Food Shoppers in Neighborhoods of Low Income and Low Food Access

Food insecurity exceeds the 14% national level in severely disadvantaged households, and food shoppers seek food sources and assistance. In 513 predominantly African American households in South Carolina, USA, food security was a significant predictor of sources used, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics (least-squares means = high food security, 2.10; marginal, 2.96; low, 2.91; very low, 3.40). The top sources were churches/social services, food bank/pantry, farmers' market, family/friend/neighbor, soup kitchen/shelter, and hunting/fishing/trapping. Adjusted odds were significantly greater among households of lower food security levels compared to high food security for food from church/social services, food bank/pantry, family/friend/neighbors, soup kitchen/shelter, and community/school/church garden.