Associations Between Food Security and Social Determinants of Health with Dietary Intakes – A Pilot Study

ABSTRACTFood insecurity is a major social determinant of health (SDH). However, further research is needed on the associations between SDH and diet among individuals living in urban food deserts. We designed a pilot study to examine the associations between diet and seven measures of SDH. Forty-five participants were enrolled in the study and were scheduled for an in-person or telephone interview. Food insecurity was significantly associated with greater intakes of fast food and refined grains. Employment was significantly associated with higher intake of alcohol. Findings from this pilot study confirm the importance of examining SDH in relation to diet.KEYWORDS: Dietfood insecuritysocial determinants of healthhealthy food environmenturban food desertshealth disparities Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Abbreviations USDA FI=USDA U.S. Household Food Security Survey ModuleJHS-FFQ=Jackson Heart Study Short Food Frequency QuestionnaireWIC=Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and ChildrenSNAP=Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramAuthor ContributionsA.D. designed the study; A.D., T.B. and S.K. conducted the study; A.D., S.R. and R.K. analyzed data; A.D. and S.T. interpreted results and tables; A.D. prepared initial draft of manuscript; T.B., S.K., L.W., C.A., K.L.T. and S.T. edited and revised manuscript. All authors approved final version of the manuscript.Additional informationFundingThe work was supported by the School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University [Intramural Grants Program].