Frequency of Food Pantry Use Is Associated with Diet Quality among Indiana Food Pantry Clients

Background: Food-insecure households access food pantries to receive supplemental food, yet limited examination of the relationships of food pantry use or household food insecurity with diet quality and health has been documented among food pantry users. Objective: This study investigated the associations among food pantry use, household food security, body mass index, self-reported chronic disease and related conditions, and diet quality among food pantry users. Design: Food pantry users in central Indiana were recruited for this cross-sectional study and surveyed for sociodemographic characteristics, food pantry use frequency, household food security, diet quality, and chronic disease and related conditions. Measurements of height and weight were obtained. Participants/setting: Data from 270 participants, aged 21 to 80 years, were collected from June 2014 to December 2015. Statistical analyses performed: Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) total score, component scores, and body mass index were analyzed across food pantry use and household food security groups using multiple linear regression. Odds of reporting chronic disease and related conditions were compared across food pantry use and household food security groups using logistic regression. Results: Visiting food pantries more than once a month was associated with higher HEI-2010 total score (P=0.03) and Total Protein Foods score (P=0.05) than visiting less often. HEI-2010 scores were not significantly different across household food security groups. Body mass index was not different across food pantry use groups or household food security groups. Household food insecurity was associated with higher odds of reporting heart disease (age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio=2.65; 95% CI, 1.05-6.69) compared with household food security. Conclusions: Food pantry use frequency differentiates diet quality, and household food security status differentiates chronic disease and related conditions among low-resource food pantry user subpopulations.