Managing Food Insecurity in Rural Areas
In 2023, almost 14% of U. S. households had food insecurity. In rural areas, thisprevalence is even higher at 15.4% (Rabbitt et al., 2023). We also know that healthy food is difficult to obtain in low-income households, especially in rural communities. Ultimately, fewer monies and geographic access to healthy foods leads to lower dietary quality among those in rural households with low-incomes (Ohri-Vachaspati et al., 2019). These food struggles relate to many factors including the inability to buy nutritious food (e.g., high-quality protein, fruits, and vegetables) because of either unemployment, low-income or seasonal jobs, high food prices, needing to use funds for essential household and medical needs, selecting poor food choices because of tiredness from working long hours, and because grocery stores with wholesome foods often are many miles away from their home (Byker Shanks et al., 2022).
These families use many support systems to obtain food, such as local food pantries, food assistance programs, school meals, and borrowing either money or food from family and friends. Rural residents also take advantage of gardening, hunting, fishing, and canning food for later use by their families. They also use money-saving strategies to buy more food by visiting stores who offer coupons or sales, purchasing generic brands, buying bulk items or dented /damaged packages and cans, and comparing grocery store unit prices for specific items. They also serve simple meals with fewer food options (Byker Shanks et al., 2022).
Despite these various strategies, many rural households with low incomes still struggle to feed their family desirable and nutritious food, which requires a multi-level approach to this problem. Nurse practitioners, nutritionists, social workers, other health providers along with community stakeholders are key in developing creative strategies to help these families secure more nutritious food options for themselves and their families. Health providers can share information about federal nutrition programs and do referrals to departments of human services during wellness examinations. Free educational programs on nutrition are important. Community stakeholders can advocate for policies to address food insecurity. Community efforts to emphasize the value of food programs for children and their parents and the elderly are a high priority, including community food trucks, food shelters/pantries, and emergency food programs. Community connections and events can provide opportunities to enhance social networks, with shared transportation to food stores, farmer’s markets, and neighborhood sponsored community gardens, with childcare/supervision. These social events also provide opportunities to make friends and share ideas for nutritious meals and strategies to prepare time-saving meal plans (American Hospital Association, 2024; Schuler et al., 2024). Together, these group efforts can improve rural food insecurity.
References
American Hospital Association. (2024). Hospitals and food insecurity. https://trustees.aha.org/articles/1299-hospitals-and-foodinsecurity#:~:text=Hospitals%20and%20health%20care%20providers,dietitians%20and%20nutritionists%20for%20counseling
Byker Shanks, C., Andress, L., Hardison-Moody, A., Jilcott Pitts, S., Patton-Lopez, M., Prewitt, T. E., Dupuis, V., Wong, K., Kirk-Epstein, M., Engelhard, E., Hake, M., Osborne, I., Hoff, C., & Haynes-Maslow, L. (2022). Food insecurity in the rural United States: An examination of struggles and coping mechanisms to feed a family among households with a low-income. Nutrients, 14(24), 5250. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245250
Ohri-Vachaspati, P., DeWeese, R. S., Acciai, F., DeLia, D., Tulloch, D., Tong, D., Lorts, C., & Yedidia, M.J. (2019). Healthy food access in low-income high-minority communities: A longitudinal assessment-2009–2017. International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health. 16, 2354. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132354
Rabbitt, M. P., Reed-Jones, Hales, L. J., & Burke, M. P. (2023, September). Household food security in the United States in 2023. USDA, Economic Research Service, ERR-337. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/109896/err-337.pdf
Schuler, B. R., Shipe, S. L., O'Reilly, N., Uhl, A., Vazquez, C. E., Tripicchio, G. L., & Hernandez, D. C. (2024). Balancing nutrition and budgets: Socio-ecological impacts on nutritional environments of families with low incomes. Appetite, 203, 107706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107706
