{"title":"Current State and Challenges in Charitable Food Agencies in Georgia","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.jneb.2024.05.068","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The charitable food system plays a pivotal role in filling the chronic food needs of low-income Americans through food and non-food programs. However, little is known about the current state and challenges charitable food agencies face in providing their programs.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To describe the characteristics and challenges encountered by available charitable food and non-food programs at the state level.</p></div><div><h3>Study Design, Settings, Participants</h3><p>As part of the Georgia Hunger Study, a statewide mixed methods needs assessment, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in a representative sample of active charitable food agency providers in Georgia in 2023 (N=935, mean age 59.9±12.4 years, 75.7% female, 54.5% African American).</p></div><div><h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3><p>The provider survey assessed program operations, nutrition standards and education, and SNAP application assistance. Descriptive statistics were analyzed.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Georgia charitable food agencies varied widely in type, size, and operation. Most agencies provided food programs (grocery or meals) using federal, state, and local resources, and 30.9% offered non-food programs (food assistance, nutrition education). Participants reported constant challenges in securing resources (food, funding, staff/volunteers) and critical infrastructure (facility and equipment to store, manage, and distribute food) and increasing program awareness and engagement with clients and communities they serve. Although reporting the importance of distributing healthier food to their clients, participants shared various barriers at the agency and client levels. About 25% of the agencies have written policies on food programs and provided nutrition education, primarily through print education materials. Only 13.2% provided SNAP application assistance. Many agencies did not think SNAP-related services were their goal and lacked trained staff/volunteers and time.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>A coordinated collaboration among charitable food agencies, government agencies, and federal nutrition education programs (eg, SNAP-Ed) is needed to help low-income Georgians navigate available food assistance programs and meet their food needs.</p></div><div><h3>Funding</h3><p>USDA, Georgia Department of Human Services</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50107,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404624001684","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
The charitable food system plays a pivotal role in filling the chronic food needs of low-income Americans through food and non-food programs. However, little is known about the current state and challenges charitable food agencies face in providing their programs.
Objective
To describe the characteristics and challenges encountered by available charitable food and non-food programs at the state level.
Study Design, Settings, Participants
As part of the Georgia Hunger Study, a statewide mixed methods needs assessment, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in a representative sample of active charitable food agency providers in Georgia in 2023 (N=935, mean age 59.9±12.4 years, 75.7% female, 54.5% African American).
Measurable Outcome/Analysis
The provider survey assessed program operations, nutrition standards and education, and SNAP application assistance. Descriptive statistics were analyzed.
Results
Georgia charitable food agencies varied widely in type, size, and operation. Most agencies provided food programs (grocery or meals) using federal, state, and local resources, and 30.9% offered non-food programs (food assistance, nutrition education). Participants reported constant challenges in securing resources (food, funding, staff/volunteers) and critical infrastructure (facility and equipment to store, manage, and distribute food) and increasing program awareness and engagement with clients and communities they serve. Although reporting the importance of distributing healthier food to their clients, participants shared various barriers at the agency and client levels. About 25% of the agencies have written policies on food programs and provided nutrition education, primarily through print education materials. Only 13.2% provided SNAP application assistance. Many agencies did not think SNAP-related services were their goal and lacked trained staff/volunteers and time.
Conclusions
A coordinated collaboration among charitable food agencies, government agencies, and federal nutrition education programs (eg, SNAP-Ed) is needed to help low-income Georgians navigate available food assistance programs and meet their food needs.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), the official journal of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, is a refereed, scientific periodical that serves as a global resource for all professionals with an interest in nutrition education; nutrition and physical activity behavior theories and intervention outcomes; complementary and alternative medicine related to nutrition behaviors; food environment; food, nutrition, and physical activity communication strategies including technology; nutrition-related economics; food safety education; and scholarship of learning related to these areas.
The purpose of JNEB is to document and disseminate original research and emerging issues and practices relevant to these areas worldwide. The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior welcomes evidence-based manuscripts that provide new insights and useful findings related to nutrition education research, practice and policy. The content areas of JNEB reflect the diverse interests in nutrition and physical activity related to public health, nutritional sciences, education, behavioral economics, family and consumer sciences, and eHealth, including the interests of community-based nutrition-practitioners. As the Society''s official journal, JNEB also includes policy statements, issue perspectives, position papers, and member communications.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
