Food security status and produce intake and behaviors of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and Farmers' Market Nutrition Program participants.

OBJECTIVE: This study identified differences between women from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)- and WIC/Farmers' Market Nutrition Program-participating households regarding household food security status, fruit and vegetable intake and behaviors, perceived diet quality, and education level; and assessed the relationship between household food security status and perceived diet quality and perceived health. DESIGN, SUBJECTS/SETTING: Cross-sectional survey of women from Athens County, Ohio (WIC, n=829; Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, n=246) living in WIC households. RESULTS: Of 228 participants completing the food security portion of the survey, 61 (26.8%) were living in food secure households, while 47 (20.6%), 75 (32.9%), and 45 (19.7%) were living in households at risk for (marginal) food insecurity, with low food security, and with very low food security, respectively. For the entire sample, food insecurity was associated with poorer diet quality (r=-0.248, P<0.001). Food security status (chi(2)=2.117, P=0.548) did not differ between groups. Farmers' Market Nutrition Program reported higher education levels (P=0.027). Unlike fruit intake (t test, P=0.769), vegetable intake servings were greater among Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (2.2+/-1.2), compared to WIC (1.9+/-1.0) (t test, P=0.040). Both perceived benefit (chi(2)=4.574, P=0.032) and perceived diet quality (chi(2)=7.219, P=0.027) were greater for Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. CONCLUSIONS: Farmers' Market Nutrition Program participants exhibit more indicators of a healthful diet, but appear not to be more food secure. Nutrition education regarding the benefits of fresh produce intake can help to improve diet quality and increase Farmers' Market Nutrition Program participation.

Household food insecurity is inversely associated with social capital and health in females from special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children households in Appalachian Ohio.

Food insecurity has been negatively associated with social capital (a measure of perceived social trust and community reciprocity) and health status. Yet, these factors have not been studied extensively among women from households participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. A cross-sectional, self-administered, mailed survey was conducted in Athens County, Ohio, to examine the household food security status, social capital, and self-rated health status of women from households receiving WIC benefits alone (n=170) and those from households receiving both WIC and Farmers' Market Nutrition Program benefits (n=65), as well as the relationship of food security, social capital, and self-rated health status. Household food security and perceived health status were not significantly different between groups; however, high social capital was greater (chi(2)=8.156, P=0.004) among WIC, compared to WIC/Farmers' Market Nutrition Program group respondents. Overall, household food insecurity was inversely associated with perceived health status (r=-0.229, P=0.001) and social capital (r=0.337, P<0.001). Enabling networking among clients, leading to client-facilitated programs and projects, and developing programs that strengthen social capital, including community-based mentoring programs and nutrition education programs that are linked to community-based activities, are needed, as is additional research to verify these findings.