The Pathways study: a cohort study of new food-aid users in rural, semi urban, and urban areas of Quebec, Canada

BMC Public Health

Research

Federico Roncarolo¹  Louise Potvin²  Elsury Pérez²  Mabel Carabali³  Geneviève Mercille⁴  Rosanne Blanchet⁵  Mylene Riva⁶  Marie-Pierre Sylvestre⁷ 

[1] Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-L’Ile-de-Montréal et Université de Montréal, H3C 3J7, Montréal, QC, Canada;Chaire de Recherche du Canada Approches Communautaires et Inégalités de Santé, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-L’Ile-de-Montréal et Université de Montréal, H3C 3J7, Montréal, QC, Canada;Chaire de Recherche du Canada Approches Communautaires et Inégalités de Santé, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-L’Ile-de-Montréal et Université de Montréal, H3C 3J7, Montréal, QC, Canada;Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Occupational Health, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada;Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-L’Ile-de-Montréal et Université de Montréal, H3C 3J7, Montréal, QC, Canada;Department of Nutrition, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-L’Ile-de-Montréal et Université de Montréal, H3C 3J7, Montréal, QC, Canada;Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;Department of Geography, McGill University, Canada Research Chair in Housing, Community and Health, Montréal, QC, Canada;Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Montréal, QC, Canada;

关键词: Food insecurity;    Food pantries;    Food banks;    Population research;    Vulnerable populations;    Cohort;    Trajectories;    Food assistance;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-023-16393-1

 received in 2022-11-24, accepted in 2023-07-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWhile considerable research has been conducted on household food insecurity (HFI), little research has examined the effects of food donation programs on users’ living conditions. The Pathways study was established to investigate the long-term effects of food donation programs on food insecurity as well as other critical outcomes, such as diet, health, and social support. Herein, we describe the design of the Pathways Study and the participants’ characteristics at baseline.MethodsThe Pathways study is a prospective cohort study of 1001 food-aid users in Quebec (Canada). We recruited newly registered users of food donation programs from 106 community-based food-aid organizations that partnered with the study. Baseline data were collected through face-to-face interviews from September 2018 to January 2020, with planned follow-up interviews at 12 and 24 months after enrollment. Household food insecurity, diet, food competencies, food shopping behaviors, perceived food environment, health status, social support and isolation, sociodemographic characteristics, housing conditions, negative life events, and the impacts of COVID-19 were assessed with validated questionnaires.ResultsThe cohort included 1001 participants living in rural (n = 181), semi-urban (n = 250), and urban areas (n = 570). Overall, household food insecurity was reported as severe among 46.2% and moderate in 36.9% of participants. Severe household food insecurity was more prevalent in rural (51.4%) and urban (47.8%) areas compared to semi-urban (39%) areas. Overall, 76.1% of participants reported an annual income below C$20,000. Half (52%) had low education levels (high school or lower), 22.0% lived in single-parent households, and 52.1% lived alone. Most (62.9%) experienced at least one major financial crisis in the preceding year.ConclusionsResults show that newly registered users of food donation programs often have low-income and severe food insecurity, with major differences across geographical locations. The Pathways study is the first study designed to follow, over a 2-year period, a cohort of newly registered users of food donation programs and to quantify their trajectories of service use. Findings from the Pathways study might help adapt the community response to the strategies used by food-insecure households to feed themselves.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023