ABSTRACT
Objective
We utilized a validated food inventory questionnaire to assess the types and quality
of food available at a homeless youth drop-in center.
Methods
Scores for 13 food categories were computed; higher scores indicated a greater availability
of foods found in that category. A summative score was computed to assess the presence
of obesogenic foods.
Results
Dry cereal, vegetables, and meat, were the most available foods; 83.3%, 60.9%, and
56.3% of food items in each category, respectively, were available. The food categories
with least available items included candy and dairy: 26.6% and 25.4% of items in those
categories, respectively. Mean obesogenic food availability score was 31 ± 4.2 (range
23–34), out of a possible score of 71.
Conclusions and Implications
It is possible for a drop-in center to provide healthful foods to homeless youth.
Further studies examining the extent to which drop-in centers contribute to the homeless
youth food environment are warranted.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessSNEB Member Login
SNEB Members, full access to the journal is a member benefit. Login via the SNEB Website to access all journal content and features.Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Understanding Homeless Youth: Numbers, Characteristics, Multisystem Involvement, and Intervention Options.Social Services Research Program, Urban Institute, Washington, DC2007
- Homeless Children and Youth: Causes and Consequences.National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, New York2009
- Homeless “squeegee kids”: food insecurity and daily survival.Soc Sci Med. 2002; 54: 1039-1049
- Food insecurity among homeless and runaway adolescents.Public Health Nutr. 2006; 9: 47-52
- A survey of food problems experienced by Toronto street youth.Can J Public Health. 1998; 89: 371-375
- Food deprivation is integral to the ‘hand to mouth'existence of homeless youths in Toronto.Public Health Nutr. 2009; 12: 1437-1442
- Food intake patterns of homeless youth in Toronto.Can J Public Health. 2009; 100: 36-40
- Nutritional assessment of charitable meal programmes serving homeless people in Toronto.Public Health Nutr. 2008; 11: 1296-1305
- Eating rough: food sources and acquisition practices of homeless young people in Adelaide, South Australia.Public Health Nutr. 2006; 9: 212-218
- Facilitators and barriers of drop-in center use among homeless youth.J Adolesc Health. 2016; 59: 144-153
- How to open and sustain a drop-in center for homeless youth.Child Youth Serv Rev. 2008; 30: 727-734
- Six- and twelve-month outcomes among homeless youth accessing therapy and case management services through an urban drop-in center.Health Serv Res. 2008; 43: 211-229
- A test of outreach and drop-in linkage versus shelter linkage for connecting homeless youth to services.Prev Sci. 2016; 17: 450-460
- A review of services and interventions for runaway and homeless youth: moving forward.Child Youth Serv Rev. 2009; 31: 732-742
- Dietary intake of homeless women residing at a transitional living center.J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2008; 19: 952-962
- Dietary intake and nutritional status of older adult homeless women: a pilot study.J Nutr Elder. 2003; 23: 1-21
- Food sources and intake of homeless persons.J Nutr Educ. 1992; 24: 45S-51S
- The validation of a home food inventory.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2008; 5: 55
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 29, 2018
Accepted:
August 15,
2018
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
