Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Growing recognition of the problem of household food insecurity in Canada has meant public health practitioners are looking for effective ways to ameliorate this problem in their communities. Community gardens, community kitchens, and food box programs can offer nutritious foods for comparably lower costs, however, the uptake and perceptions of these programs in populations at risk of food insecurity have not been evaluated. Building on a previous finding of low program participation among 485 families living in high-poverty neighbourhoods in Toronto, the objective of this study was to understand reasons for non-participation.
METHODS: One year after the baseline study, 371 families were interviewed a second time and were asked to provide their reasons for not participating in community gardens, community kitchens, or the Good Food Box program. Responses were analyzed by inductive content analysis.
RESULTS: At follow-up, only 12 families had participated in a community garden, 16 in a community kitchen, and 4 in the Good Food Box program. Reasons for non-participation grouped under two themes. First, families expressed that programs were not accessible because they lacked the knowledge of how or where to participate or because programs were not in their neighbourhoods. Second, programs lacked fit for families, as they were not suited to busy schedules, interests, or needs.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides unique perspective on participation in community food programs among food-insecure families and suggests that these programs may not be effective options for these families to improve their food access.
Key words: Food security, low-income, poverty, Canada, public health
Résumé
OBJECTIF: La reconnaissance croissante du problème de l’insécurité alimentaire des ménages au Canada amène les praticiens de la santé publique à chercher des moyens efficaces d’améliorer la situation dans leur communauté. Les jardins communautaires, les cuisines collectives et les boîtes de vivres peuvent offrir des aliments nutritifs à un coût comparativement faible, mais on n’a pas évalué le recours à ces programmes, ni la façon dont ils sont perçus, dans les populations exposées à l’insécurité alimentaire. Une étude antérieure avait constaté la faible participation à de tels programmes pour 485 familles vivant dans un quartier très pauvre de Toronto; nous avons cherché à comprendre les raisons de cette non-participation.
MÉTHODE: Un an après l’étude de base, nous avons interviewé 371 familles une deuxième fois pour leur demander les raisons de leur refus de participer aux programmes de jardins communautaires, de cuisines collectives ou de boîtes d’aliments sains. Nous avons analysé le contenu de leurs réponses par induction.
RÉSULTATS: Au suivi, seulement 12 familles avaient participé à un jardin communautaire, 16 à une cuisine collective et 4 à un programme de boîtes d’aliments sains. Les raisons de la non-participation ont été regroupées sous deux thèmes. Premièrement, les familles nous ont dit que les programmes n’étaient pas accessibles parce qu’elles ne savaient pas comment ni où y participer, ou parce que ces programmes n’étaient pas offerts dans leur quartier. Deuxièmement, les programmes étaient mal adaptés aux familles, car ils ne tenaient pas compte de leurs horaires chargés, de leurs intérêts ou de leurs besoins.
CONCLUSION: Cette étude présente une perspective unique de la participation des familles exposées à l’insécurité alimentaire aux programmes alimentaires communautaires; nous montrons que ces programmes peuvent ne pas être des options efficaces pour améliorer l’accès de ces familles aux aliments.
Mots clés: sécurité alimentaire, faible revenu, pauvreté, Canada, santé publique
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: This study was funded by CIHR operating grants (IGP-74207, MOP-77766, MOP-81173) and SSHRC CURA: Neighbourhood Change and Building Inclusive Communities from Within. Loopstra is supported by a CIHR CGS Doctoral award.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
References
- 1.Office of Nutrition PolicyPromotion. Summary Data Tables on Household Food Insecurity in Canada in 2007–2008. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada; 2010. [Google Scholar]
- 2.Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V. Food insecurity is associated with nutrient inadequacies among Canadian adults and adolescents. J Nutr. 2008;138(3):604–12. doi: 10.1093/jn/138.3.604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Kirkpatrick SI, McIntyre L, Potestio ML. Child hunger and long-term adverse consequences for health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164(8):754–62. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.117. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada. Food Security in Canada - A Leadership Opportunity Towards Health Promotion and Reduction in Chronic Disease. Ottawa: CDPAC; 2007. [Google Scholar]
- 5.Power E. Individual and household food insecurity in Canada: Position of Dietitians of Canada. Can J Diet Pract Res. 2005;66(1):43–46. doi: 10.3148/66.1.2005.43. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Best Practices Portal: Food Security. Ottawa: PHAC; 2012. [Google Scholar]
- 7.Ontario Public Health Association Food Security Working Group. A Systematic Approach to Community Food Security: A Role for Public Health. Toronto, ON: OPHA; 2002. [Google Scholar]
- 8.Provincial Health Services Authority. A Seat at the Table: Resource Guide for Local Governments to Promote Food Secure Communities. Vancouver, BC: PHSA; 2008. [Google Scholar]
- 9.Public Health Services NHCHC. City of Hamilton 2011 Food Access Guide. Hamilton, ON: City of Hamilton; 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 10.Hasdell R. Thinking Outside of the Breadbox: A “how-to” handbook for food security programming in Community Health Centres. Toronto: GTA Community Health Centres Food Security Network; 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 11.EatRight Ontario. Food Choices When Money is Tight. Toronto: Dietitians of Canada; 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 12.Brownlee M, Cammer A. Assessing the Good Food Box. Saskatoon, SK: University of Saskatchewan; 2004. [Google Scholar]
- 13.Toronto Community Foundation. Community Food Animators Project: 2005 Summary Report. Toronto: City of Toronto; 2005. [Google Scholar]
- 14.Armstrong D. A survey of community gardens in upstate New York: Implications for health promotion and community development. Health Place. 2000;6(4):319–27. doi: 10.1016/S1353-8292(00)00013-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 15.Engler-Stringer R, Berenbaum S. Exploring food security with collective kitchens participants in three Canadian cities. Qual Health Res. 2007;17(1):75–84. doi: 10.1177/1049732306296451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 16.Fano TJ, Tyminski SM, Flynn MA. Evaluation of a collective kitchens program: Using the Population Health Promotion Model. Can J Diet Pract Res. 2004;65(2):72–80. doi: 10.3148/65.2.2004.72. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 17.Tarasuk V. A critical examination of community-based responses to household food insecurity in Canada. Health Educ Behav. 2001;28(4):487–99. doi: 10.1177/109019810102800408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 18.Wakefield S, Yeudall F, Taron C, Reynolds J, Skinner A. Growing urban health: Community gardening in South-East Toronto. Health Promot Int. 2007;22(2):92–101. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dam001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 19.Provincial Health Services Authority. Perspectives on Community-Based Food Security Projects: A Discussion Paper. Vancouver: PHSA; 2006. [Google Scholar]
- 20.Dachner N, Ricciuto L, Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V. Food purchasing and food insecurity among low-income families in Toronto. Can J Diet Pract Res. 2010;71(3):126. doi: 10.3148/71.3.2010.127. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 21.Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V. Food insecurity and participation in community food programs among low-income Toronto families. Can J Public Health. 2009;100(2):135–39. doi: 10.1007/BF03405523. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 22.Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V. Assessing the relevance of neighbourhood characteristics to the household food security of low-income Toronto families. Public Health Nutr. 2010;13(7):1139–48. doi: 10.1017/S1368980010000339. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 23.Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V. Housing circumstances are associated with household food access among low-income urban families. J Urban Health-Bull NY Acad Med. 2011;88(2):284–96. doi: 10.1007/s11524-010-9535-4. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 24.Office of Nutrition PolicyPromotion. Income-related Household Food Insecurity in Canada. Ottawa: Health Canada; 2007. [Google Scholar]
- 25.FoodShare. Good Food Box: Fresh Produce Delivered to Your Community (2011 Brochure) Toronto: FoodShare; 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 26.Elo S, Kyngas H. The qualitative content analysis process. J Adv Nurs. 2008;62(1):107–15. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 27.Toronto Social Development FinanceAdministration. Profile of Low Income in the City of Toronto. Toronto: City of Toronto; 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 28.Edible Strategies Enterprises Ltd. The Good Food Box Story: The Sustainabil-ity Challenge. Vancouver: Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University; 2006. [Google Scholar]
- 29.Loopstra R, Tarasuk V. The relationship between food banks and household food insecurity among low income Toronto families. Can Public Policy. 2012;38(4):479–514. doi: 10.3138/CPP.38.4.497. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
- 30.Hamelin A-M, Mercier C. Bédard A. Needs for food security from the standpoint of Canadian households participating and not participating in community food programmes. Int J Consumer Studies. 2011;35(1):58–68. doi: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2010.00927.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]