Home Environment, Socio-cultural Characteristics, and Nutrition Knowledge of Users of a Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry

Tamara Mousa; Jean H.  Freeland-Graves

doi:10.35516/jjas.v18i3.447

Authors

Tamara Mousa Faculty of Agriculture. The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4046-3494
Jean H. Freeland-Graves The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712 USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0456-8993

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/jjas.v18i3.447

Abstract

The present cross-sectional study examined the home environment, socio-cultural characteristics, and nutrition knowledge of 222 clients of a soup kitchen and food pantry. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, Multidimensional Home Environment Scale, and Nutrition Knowledge Scale. The food pantry population consisted of more women, Blacks, Hispanics, and older clients than did those from the soup kitchen. Soup kitchen clients also exhibited lower socioeconomic status, and were mostly homeless, as compared to those of the food pantry. Both groups had a low level of nutrition knowledge (55%). Furthermore, most of the food pantry recipients were non-smokers and non-alcohol-drinkers, as compared to about half of the soup kitchen participants, who had lower availability of healthy foods at home and 50.9% of them consumed American foods. Thus, future research is essential to assess the impact of the home environment, socio-cultural influences, and nutrition knowledge on diet quality and food security of food recipients in the U.S.

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Author Biographies

Tamara Mousa, Faculty of Agriculture. The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.

PhD. Assistant professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture. The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.

Jean H. Freeland-Graves, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712 USA

Department of Nutritional Sciences A2703. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712 USA.

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