The Association between Diet Quality and Health Status in Mobile Food Pantry Users in Northeastern Connecticut

Abstract

Low-income Americans tend to have poor diet quality and disease prevalence overall. Mobile food pantries aim to improve these outcomes, and have rarely been studied. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between diet quality and health status in mobile food pantry users. Data were collected from two mobile food pantry sites in Northeastern Connecticut (n = 83). Sociodemographic food security and diet quality data were collected. Overall, diet quality was low among all participants with intakes of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains of concern. Participant adherence to the 2020–2025 US Dietary Guidelines were low, with no participants meeting recommendations for whole grains. Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension prevalence in this population exceeded national averages. After adjusting for covariates, hypertension was associated with higher dairy and added sugar intake, as well as a greater intake of added sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages (p < 0.05). Although results were not statistically significant, participants with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension showed a trend of having lower adherence to the guidelines than those without these chronic diseases. Questions assessing participant interest in changing their diets were also posed, indicating overall high interest in learning about current diet quality and weight improvement.