This study was intended to characterize the perceived risks of urban agriculture by residents of four low-income neighborhoods in which the potential exists for further urban agriculture development and to provide data to support whether any chemical hazards and foodborne pathogens as potential food safety hazards were present. Sixty-seven residents participated in focus groups related to environmental health, food security, and urban gardening. In addition, soils from six locations were tested. Residents expressed interest in the development of urban gardens to improve access to healthy, fresh produce, but they had concerns about soil quality. Soils were contaminated with lead (Pb), zinc, cadmium (Cd), and copper, but not arsenic or chromium. Results from our study suggest paint was the main source of soil contamination. Detectable polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in urban soils were well below levels of concern. These urban soils will require further management to reduce Pb and possibly Cd bioavail...

Hunger mitigation in the United States has traditionally blended a variety of “emergency resources,” from both the public and private sectors, yet the long-term use of these programs, food pantries in particular, is becoming commonplace. Still, there is little information on long-term (24+ months) pantry use. This article examines the differences, particularly in food security status and use of federal support programs, between traditional, short-term emergency pantry users and an emerging population of long-term users. We found that there are 2 distinct groups of long-term users based on frequency of use, prolonged (infrequent) and persistent (frequent), and that each of these groups has distinct vulnerability to food insecurity as well as mitigation strategies for dealing with food insecurity.

This research study was conducted to assess how neighborhood food environments (FE) impact households’ ability to purchase and consume a balanced diet. We conducted surveys with 449 food secure (FS) and 214 food insecure (FI) households to explore consumer decision-making and food access. We audited 90 food stores where participants shopped using an 87-item Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) list and a 55-item MyPlate list. The likelihood of purchasing an affordable healthy food basket was conditional upon the type of food store visited, dependent upon access, availability, and affordability. FI households were twice as likely to walk, four times more likely to use public transportation, and lived closest to convenience stores and partial markets. Twenty-six percents of participants living in FI households were not at all satisfied with their ability to easily access food, and over 27% of those households said it was not easy to find fresh fruits and vegetables, even though nutritional value was important or very important for 85.5% of FI households. While most people shopped at a supermarket, they also shopped at stores close to their home; for FI households, this included corner stores, convenience stores, and partial markets less likely to carry healthy food items and fresh produce.

The United States is facing two interconnected social and public health crises of severe obesity and food insecurity within the social-ecological environment. Marginalized groups experience the highest rates and the greatest impacts in terms of morbidity, mortality, and financial burdens. Consequences include experiencing multimorbidities, mental health issues, and decreased quality of life. Food pantries have served as spaces to obtain food to meet household needs, but for some, food pantries have become long-term solutions. We surveyed 2,634 people who accessed pantries in 2005, 2010, and 2013 across 32 counties in a Midwest state. The authors sought to understand to what extent does length of time using a food pantry, food security status, income sources, use of federal food benefits, visiting a doctor, and demographic variables increase odds of severe obesity. More than 14% were severely obese; those who were long-term food pantry users and very low food secure were 1.732 times more likely to be severely obese. Receiving Disability/Supplemental Security Income, seeing a doctor in the last year, being female, and older age reduced the odds of severe obesity. Discussion includes implications for social workers who interact with groups likely to experience very low food security and severe obesity at different systems levels.

This study uses a community food security (CFS) framework to understand how social capital and social cohesion may address food security. We assessed the presence of these constructs using a confirmatory factor analysis in the context of a community food assessment (N = 563). Social capital, social cohesion, and community food participation (e.g., CSAs, farmers’ markets, gardens) were unique factor structures that could lead to development and testing community-based interventions to improve food security, food access, and health. We provide a discussion of the conceptualization and measurement of these constructs, and offer areas of improvement helpful to practitioners and researchers.