Housing Instability, Food Insecurity, and Barriers to Healthy Eating

This study uses the National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) to examine how housing instability is associated with food insecurity, the overall healthfulness of diet, and perceived barriers to healthy eating. The sample consisted of households with incomes not exceeding 185% of the federal poverty line. Logistic regressions showed that, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and local food environment, housing instability was a strong predictor of food insecurity, very low food security, unhealthy diet, and perceiving cost as a barrier to healthy eating among low-income households. Findings suggest the importance of accommodating varied housing conditions in policy and education.