TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ruggiero, Cara F.
AU  - Luo, Man
AU  - Zack, Rachel M.
AU  - Marriott, James P.
AU  - Lynn, Catherine
AU  - Taitelbaum, Daniel
AU  - Palley, Paige
AU  - Wallace, Aprylle M.
AU  - Wilson, Norbert
AU  - Odoms-Young, Angela
AU  - Fiechtner, Lauren
PY  - 2024
TI  - Perceived Discrimination Among Food Pantry Clients in Massachusetts
T2  - Preventing Chronic Disease
JO  - Prev Chronic Dis
SP  - E70
VL  - 21
CY  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
N2  - INTRODUCTION  Food insecurity is defined as inconsistent access to enough food to meet nutritional needs. Discrimination is associated with food insecurity and poor health, especially among racial and ethnic minoritized and sexual or gender minoritized groups. We examined the demographic associations of perceived everyday discrimination and food pantry discrimination in Massachusetts. METHODS  From December 2021 through February 2022, The Greater Boston Food Bank conducted a cross-sectional, statewide survey of Massachusetts adults. Of the 3,085 respondents, 702 were food pantry clients for whom complete data on food security were available; we analyzed data from this subset of respondents. We used the validated 10-item Everyday Discrimination Scale to measure perceived everyday discrimination and a 10-item modified version of the Everyday Discrimination Scale to measure perceived discrimination at food pantries. Logistic regression adjusted for race and ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, having children in the household, annual household income, and household size assessed demographic associations of perceived everyday discrimination and discrimination at food pantries. RESULTS  Food pantry clients identifying as LGBTQ+ were more likely than those identifying as non-LGBTQ+ to report perceived everyday discrimination (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.44; 95% CI, 1.24-4.79). Clients identifying as Hispanic (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI, 1.13-2.96) were more likely than clients identifying as non-Hispanic White to report perceived discrimination at food pantries.  CONCLUSION  To equitably reach and serve households with food insecurity, food banks and pantries need to understand experiences of discrimination and unconscious bias to develop programs, policies, and practices to address discrimination and create more inclusive interventions for food assistance.
SN  - 1545-1151
UR  - https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.240009
DO  - 10.5888/pcd21.240009
ER  -