Table 2.
Unadjusted mixed-effects models assessing associations between characteristics and ordinal hunger in food pantry users in ten pantries in Eastern Massachusetts, n 611
| Variable | Moderate hunger vs. little to no hungera,b | Severe hunger vs. little to no hungera,b | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds ratio (95 % CI) | P | Odds ratio (95 % CI) | P | |
| Agec | 0⋅98 (0⋅97, 0⋅99) | <0⋅01 | 0⋅97 (0⋅96, 0⋅98) | <0⋅01 |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | Refd | Refd | ||
| Female | 1⋅44 (0⋅91, 2⋅28) | 0⋅12 | 0⋅78 (0⋅61, 1⋅00) | 0⋅05 |
| Race/Ethnicitye | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | Refd | Refd | ||
| Non-Hispanic Black | 1⋅56 (0⋅61, 3⋅98) | 0⋅35 | 1⋅79 (0⋅51, 6⋅29) | 0⋅37 |
| Non-Hispanic Other | 1⋅11 (0⋅60, 2⋅06) | 0⋅75 | 1⋅19 (0⋅69, 2⋅06) | 0⋅54 |
| Hispanic | 0⋅83 (0⋅44, 1⋅55) | 0⋅56 | 0⋅57 (0⋅40, 0⋅80) | <0⋅01 |
| Educational attainment | ||||
| College Graduate (4 years) or more | Refd | Refd | ||
| High school or some college | 1⋅68 (0⋅86, 3⋅31) | 0⋅13 | 1⋅90 (1⋅10, 3⋅27) | 0⋅02 |
| Less than high school | 2⋅02 (1⋅07, 3⋅81) | 0⋅03 | 1⋅79 (1⋅15, 2⋅78) | <0⋅01 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married/Living with partner | Refd | Refd | ||
| Separated or Divorced/Widowed | 2⋅00 (1⋅26, 3⋅18) | <0⋅01 | 2⋅59 (1⋅90, 3⋅52) | <0⋅01 |
| Single/Never married | 1⋅39 (0⋅98, 1⋅96) | 0⋅07 | 1⋅39 (0⋅87, 2⋅22) | 0⋅16 |
| Work status | ||||
| Full-time (>35 h) | Refd | Refd | ||
| Part-time (<35 h) | 1⋅55 (0⋅78, 3⋅08) | 0⋅21 | 3⋅23 (1⋅19, 8⋅82) | 0⋅02 |
| Homemaker | 1⋅53 (0⋅91, 2⋅55) | 0⋅12 | 3⋅48 (1⋅82, 6⋅64) | <0⋅01 |
| Unemployed | 1⋅41 (0⋅56, 3⋅59) | 0⋅47 | 1⋅51 (0⋅58, 3⋅91) | 0⋅40 |
| Disabled | 1⋅96 (1⋅07, 3⋅60) | 0⋅03 | 3⋅23 (1⋅83, 5⋅69) | <0⋅01 |
| Retired | 3⋅59 (1⋅43, 9⋅02) | <0⋅01 | 4⋅20 (3⋅02, 5⋅86) | <0⋅01 |
| Other | 0⋅79 (0⋅36, 1⋅74) | 0⋅06 | 2⋅37 (0⋅76, 7⋅38) | 0⋅14 |
| Monthly household incomee | ||||
| $2000 or more | Refd | Refd | ||
| $1500 to $1999 | 1⋅76 (0⋅78, 3⋅99) | 0⋅17 | 2⋅85 (1⋅12, 7⋅22) | 0⋅03 |
| $1000 to $1499 | 1⋅43 (0⋅68, 3⋅00) | 0⋅34 | 1⋅95 (0⋅83, 4⋅59) | 0⋅13 |
| $500 to $999 | 1⋅34 (0⋅54, 3⋅33) | 0⋅53 | 2⋅22 (1⋅56, 3⋅12) | <0⋅01 |
| Less than $500 | 2⋅48 (1⋅24, 4⋅97) | 0⋅01 | 3⋅12 (1⋅48, 6⋅60) | <0⋅01 |
| Household sizef | ||||
| 1 | Refd | Refd | ||
| 2–3 | 1⋅45 (0⋅95, 2⋅22) | 0⋅09 | 1⋅17 (0⋅79, 1⋅74) | 0⋅45 |
| 4–5 | 1⋅34 (0⋅67, 2⋅71) | 0⋅41 | 1⋅87 (0⋅99, 3⋅54) | 0⋅05 |
| >5 | 0⋅73 (0⋅52, 1⋅04) | 0⋅08 | 1⋅09 (0⋅73, 1⋅63) | 0⋅68 |
| Household compositiong | ||||
| Children in the household | 1⋅58 (1⋅26, 1⋅98) | <0⋅01 | 1⋅08 (0⋅79, 1⋅48) | 0⋅62 |
| Seniors in the household | 0⋅74 (0⋅45, 1⋅23) | 0⋅25 | 0⋅49 (0⋅30, 0⋅80) | <0⋅01 |
| Food assistance use in the past 30 dh | ||||
| SNAP | 1⋅25 (0⋅96, 1⋅62) | 0⋅10 | 0⋅77 (0⋅50, 1⋅17) | 0⋅22 |
| WIC | 1⋅09 (0⋅72, 1⋅66) | 0⋅68 | 0⋅36 (0⋅14, 0⋅72) | <0⋅01 |
| Food pantryi | 0⋅77 (0⋅49, 1⋅21) | 0⋅26 | 0⋅36 (0⋅22, 0⋅58) | <0⋅01 |
| Any economic hardshipj | 1⋅79 (1⋅03, 3⋅10) | 0⋅04 | 4⋅26 (2⋅32, 7⋅82) | <0⋅01 |
Analyses were conducted using mixed-effects models for an ordinal outcome, with significance 0⋅05 indicated by boldface. The reference group for these analyses is little to no hunger in the household.
Hunger categories were defined as little to no hunger in the household (HHS score 0–1), moderate hunger in the household (HHS score 2–3) and severe hunger in the household (HHS 4–6) according to the HHS score.
Food pantry site was controlled for as a random effect in these models.
Age categories were created based on pre-established age definitions from the US Census.
Socio-demographic categories that previous studies have found to be protective against food insecurity were used as the reference category.
Individuals self-reported their race according to the pre-defined response options of Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic Other. Income categories were created based on open-ended responses for annual/monthly income.
Household size categories were created based on the open-ended responses of the number of people in household.
Household composition for both children and seniors in the household were defined as at least one or more in the household.
Food assistance use (SNAP, WIC, food pantry) were defined as any use in the past 30 d, with no use as the comparison.
Food pantry use defined as use of a food pantry in the past 30 d aside from the visit of survey completion.
Economic hardship defined as experiencing at least one of the following in the past 3 months: medical expenses, job loss, reduced pay/hours, divorce, rent or utilises, foreclosure/eviction notice, death of a family member or breadwinner, business financial difficulty, home repairs, loan repayment or loan late fees, legal expenses or other hardship.