Which families use food assistance, and what are their children’s dietary patterns? A study among families experiencing homelessness
Food insecurity is a growing public health concern, affecting a substantial proportion of the population, with a particularly high prevalence among young people and families facing highly precarious living conditions. Food assistance programs, including food parcel distribution, play an important role in addressing the needs of populations experiencing hardship. However, the social and family determinants associated with the use of such programs, as well as the links between food assistance and children’s diets, remain poorly documented, particularly among families experiencing extreme hardship, such as those experiencing homelessness.
In this new study published in BMC Public Health, Alexandra Descarpentrie and co-authors investigated socio-ecological factors associated with the use of food parcels and compared children’s dietary patterns according to whether or not their families used this form of assistance. The study drew on data from the ENFAMS survey, conducted in 2013 by the Observatoire du Samusocial de Paris among a random sample of 801 families experiencing homelessness and living in temporary accommodation in the Paris region. Data were collected through interviews with parents, most of whom were migrants, conducted in 17 different languages. The analysis of dietary patterns included 235 children aged 6 to 12 years.
The results showed that approximately 60% of parents had used food parcels in the month preceding the interview. Use was particularly common among families experiencing multiple forms of social vulnerability, including low household income, parental unemployment, recent arrival in France, limited French proficiency, irregular administrative status, and low levels of social support. Among children, food parcel use was associated with lower consumption of vegetables and dairy products.
Although observational, this study highlights the importance of adopting a socio-ecological approach to food assistance that considers the multiple social determinants associated with its use, as well as the conditions under which families access and consume food. It also underscores the need to better document the contents of food parcels and families’ preferences, in order to provide assistance that is diverse and appropriate. More broadly, while food assistance provides an essential response to immediate needs, it cannot, on its own, address the structural determinants underlying food insecurity. Reducing nutritional inequalities therefore requires an integrated public health approach combining improvements to food assistance programs and social support with the creation of sustainable conditions enabling everyone to access food of their choice and of good quality, with dignity.
By Alexandra Descarpentrie (PhD Inserm) & Sandrine Lioret (DR Inserm)
