Household
Food Security and Produce Intake and Behaviors of Adult Mothers Living
on Prince Edward Island and Using Family Resource Center Services
, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Food and Nutrition Sciences (Health Sciences and Professions).
Prince
Edward Island is characterized by low household food security compared
to other Provinces, especially among female lone parents. Low produce
intake may be linked to chronic disease and has been associated with
household food insecurity. This study examined differences in produce
intake by food security status of adult mothers aged 18 and older with
young children living on Prince Edward Island and using Family Resource
Centre services. The main instrument used in this investigation was the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Survey
Module (HFSSM), a produce intake and behavior-related instrument. The
USDA HFSSM was scored using Canadian methods. Descriptive statistics
were used to describe the sample. SPSS software was used to tabulate
data, and, using SPSS, an ANOVA was used to assess for differences in
produce intake among food security groups. Participants (n = 282) were
primarily White (n = 262, 92.9%) and married (n = 164, 58.2%). Age
ranged from 18-53 years (30 ± 5 years, n = 280). Regarding household
adult food security of participants (n = 281), 197 (70.1%) experienced
food security during the previous 12 months, while 84 (29.8%)
experienced food insecurity (food insecure, moderate [n = 46, 16.4%];
food insecure, severe [n = 38, 13.5%]). Total produce (p < .001),
fruit (p < .001), and vegetable (p = .001) differed by household food
security; mothers who experienced severe food insecurity consumed less
total produce than food secure or food insecure (moderate) mothers by
1.8 and 1.3 servings daily, respectively. In summary, mothers of young
children living on Prince Edward Island who experienced severe food
insecurity had lower produce intake compared to other mothers. Further
exploration of programs and services to improve food insecurity among
these mothers is warranted.
David Holben (Advisor)
Deborah Murrary (Committee Member)
Michele Morrone (Committee Member)
Deborah Murrary (Committee Member)
Michele Morrone (Committee Member)
