Table 1.

Characteristics of 251 Dutch food bank recipients measured in 2010/2011*

Characteristics
Age, years	46.3±10.6†
Sex
Men	93 (37.1)
Women	158 (62.9)
Duration of being recipient (months)
0–6	91 (36.3)
6–12	63 (25.1)
>12	97 (38.6)
Household size
1 person	102 (40.6)
2–4 persons	108 (43.0)
≥5 persons	41 (16.3)
Household composition
Single parent household	59 (23.6)
Household without children	127 (50.8)
Multiple household with children	64 (25.6)
Ethnicity
Dutch	178 (71.8)
Non-Dutch ancestry	70 (28.2)
Educational level
Low	34 (13.6)
Medium	131 (52.4)
High	85 (34.0)
Current paid job
No	218 (86.9)
Yes	33 (13.1)
BMI, kg/m2	27.3±6.3
Weight status (kg/m2)
Underweight; BMI <18.5	8 (3.3)
Normal weight; BMI 18.5–24.9	98 (40.0)
Overweight; BMI 25–29.9	70 (28.6)
Obese; BMI ≥30	69 (28.2)
Current smoking
No	105 (41.8)
Yes	146 (58.2)
Physically active ≥30 min/day (days/week)
0–2	70 (27.9)
3–5	80 (31.9)
6–7	101 (40.2)
Money spent on groceries (per person per week)
€0–€29.99	200 (81.6)
€30–€50	45 (18.4)
Satisfaction with food parcel (range −2 to +2)	0.88±0.83
Satisfaction with overall food intake (range −2 to +2)	0.69±0.73
Perceived healthiness of overall food intake (range −2 to +2)	0.62±0.68
Self-efficacy of eating healthy (range −2 to +2)	0.75±0.82
Use of all products from food parcel
Never	9 (3.6)
Sometimes	143 (57.0)
Always	99 (39.4)
Use of perishable foods beyond expiration date
Never	57 (22.7)
Sometimes	154 (61.4)
Always	40 (15.9)
Use of non-perishable foods beyond expiration date
Never	34 (13.5)
Sometimes	158 (62.9)
Always	59 (23.5)

*Total N was 251. For age, household composition, educational level, self-efficacy of eating healthy N was 250, for ethnicity N was 248 and for BMI, weight status and money spent on groceries in Euros per person per week N was 245.

†Values are presented as mean±SD, frequency or relative frequency.

BMI, body mass index.