Trauma-Informed Financial Empowerment Programming Improves Food Security Among Families With Young Children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how trauma-informed programming affects household food insecurity (HFI) over 12 months. DESIGN: Change was assessed in HFI from baseline to 12 months in response to a single-arm cohort intervention. Measures were taken at baseline and in every quarter. Two participant groups were compared: participation in ≥4 sessions (full participation) vs participation in <4 sessions (low/no participation). SETTING: Community-based setting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 372 parents of children aged <6 years, participating in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, recruited from county assistance offices and community-based settings. INTERVENTION: Trauma-informed programming incorporates healing-centered approaches to address previous exposures to trauma. Sixteen sessions addressed emotional management, social and family dynamics related to violence exposure and childhood adversity, and financial skills. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Household food insecurity, as defined by the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module. ANALYSIS: Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to compare groups from baseline to 12 months, controlling for adverse childhood experiences, depression, and public assistance. RESULTS: Those with full participation had 55% lower odds of facing HFI compared with the low/no participation group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.90). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Trauma-informed programming can reduce the odds of HFI and may reduce trauma-related symptoms associated with depression and poverty.

Experiences of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination Are Associated with Food Insecurity and Poor Health.

This study examines the associations of mothers' experiences of discrimination (EODs) with household food insecurity (HFI), physical health, and depressive symptoms, while taking into account the influence of mothers' Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and public assistance participation. Mothers (N = 1372) of young children under age 4 who self-identified as Latinx, Non-Latinx Black/African American and Non-Latinx white answered questions for a cross-sectional survey in an emergency room in a large children's hospital in Philadelphia between 2016 and 2018. Logistic regression was used to model associations of EODs in specific settings with HFI, depressive symptoms, and physical health. Compared to those without EODs, mothers with EODs from police/courts and in workplaces had higher odds of HFI, AOR =2.04 (95% CI: 1.44-2.89) and AOR = 1.57 (95% CI: 1.18-2.11), respectively. Among Latinx mothers, EODs in school were associated with nearly 60% higher odds of HFI and nearly 80% higher odds of depressive symptoms. Latinx and Black mothers with EODs in workplaces had higher odds of HFI (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.21-2.56 and AOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.05-2.36, respectively), compared to mothers without EODs. Discrimination is associated with HFI, depressive symptoms, and poor health. Public health interventions intended to improve food security and health may be only partially effective without simultaneously addressing racism and discrimination.