Individuals who visit choice food pantries, pantries that allow individuals to choose types of food, vs non-choice pantries may have lower food insecurity but little is known about the characteristics of food pantry users in Atlanta, GA.

Objective

To describe food insecurity rates and characteristics of adults visiting choice vs. non-choice pantries.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study design.

Methods

We did a secondary data analysis of baseline data from 685 adults visiting 10 pantries in Atlanta, GA in Spring 2022. Households with ≥3 affirmative responses on the 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module were considered food insecure. Chi-squared tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare variables. Adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were developed with pantry type as dependent variable and food insecurity as independent variable.

Results

Overall, adults were 60 years (IQR: 51-68), majority were female (75.3%), Black (68.3%), and 53.6% were food insecure. Compared to participants of non-choice pantries, participants of choice pantries were younger [58 years (IQR: 48-66) vs. 63 years (IQR: 55-69)], had lower participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (35.5% vs 42.9%), traveled less frequently to a pantry outside of their home zip code (65.6% vs 79.6%), and had higher rates of food insecurity (59.7 vs 47.3) (p<0.05). Participants who visited choice pantries were more likely to experience food insecurity even after adjusting for covariates (OR=1.46 [95% CI =1.06 – 2.00], p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Individuals experiencing food insecurity were more likely to visit choice pantries compared to non-choice food pantries.