Exploring the Effects of Household and Community Factors on Food Security/Insecurity Among African American Youths in Public Housing

Background/Purpose:

Food security remains a problem for many Americans. While previous studies have evidenced the impact of sociodemographic factors, formal food assistance programs and informal food supports on food security, research focusing on community and household correlates of food security in resource-constrained communities is rarely undertaken. The present study aims to examine the association of household and community factors on food security among African American youth living in public housing.

Drawing from the Social Determinant of Health Framework and the Integrative Model of Developmental Competencies in Minority Children, the study utilizes an integrated model to help understand and explicate how factors at the household and community level may be associated with food security among youth in public housing. The study focuses specifically on the relationship between food insecurity and socio-demographic characteristics (including age, gender and employment status), household characteristics (e.g., household hardship and conflict, living with parents and number of people in household), along with community factors (such as presence of the extended family in neighborhood, community cohesion, and neighborhood hazard).

Methods:

Our study is based on data collected in a cross-sectional study of African American youth living in public housing located in West Baltimore (N=151). This study uses a community based participatory research approach and respondent driven sampling for youth recruitment. Descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics and sequential regression were employed to help understand the relationship of interest to this investigation. On average, the sample was 21 years, lived in households with at least four people, more than half were female (62%), many reported living with parents (65%), and having the extended family in their neighborhood (55%). Food insecurity was relatively high (x̄=1.47, SD=0.70).

Results:

Results of this study indicate that, after controlling for gender and employment status, food insecurity was positively related to age (B = 1.40, p < 0.01), living with parents (B = 0.454, p < 0.001), household hardships (B = 0.164, p < 0.001), and household conflict (B = 0.020, p < 0.01). On the other hand, food insecurity was negatively related to community cohesion (B = -0.003, P < 0.01) and the extended family living within the public housing neighborhood (B = -0.276, p < 0.01). Moreover, we found that the presence of extended family in the public housing neighborhood mitigated the negative effects of household conflict on food insecurity (B = -0.037, p < 0.01).

Conclusions and Implications:

Results of this study point to the vulnerability experienced by youth in public housing neighborhoods even when they continue to reside with their parents. Development and implementation of strategies to support youth from vulnerable backgrounds as they transition into adulthood may be important for their welfare. The role played by community cohesion and the extended family in mitigating food insecurity need to be acknowledged. Future research could explore mechanisms through which these two factors alleviate food insecurity among youth in resource-constrained communities.