Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development最新文献

The purpose of this cross-sectional, mixed methods case study was to assess participation in, and use of, nutrition support programs (NSPs) and their impact on food insecurity and health status of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) families with young children (ages 0-8) living in three urban areas in Montana. Convenience sampling was used to recruit urban AIANs to participate in a survey that contained closed and open-ended questions. A final sample of 177 responses were included in the analysis. Fisher exact tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and analysis of variance was used to model program participation, access, use, health scores, and food insecurity status as a function of demographic measures. Standard logistic regression was used in models with binary responses such as food insecurity. Proportional odds logistic regression was used to compare the proportion of respondents in poor, fair, good, very good, and excellent health for each of the five ordinal health measures with respect to program participation, access, use, food insecurity, and changes in the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables consumed. All logistic models used a single predictor and thus are unadjusted for additional factors. Thematic analysis was conducted on the open-ended questions. Most respondents (N = 132) identified as AIAN and 54% of respondents were categorized as food insecure. Most respondents (56-94.8%) agreed that SNAP, WIC, and DSD were helpful for improving their diets. Participants described frustrations with the SNAP application process, including long call back or wait times and difficulties getting questions answered and scheduling required certification appointments. Participants also expressed feeling discriminated against by caseworkers and community members when accessing SNAP. Respondents reporting SNAP was "very easy" to access had significantly higher general health scores (Proportional odds regression, overall p = 0.004). Higher physical functioning scores were associated with being food secure (p = 0.077). The odds of "Very Good" or "Excellent" social functioning scores were 2.26 times larger for participants identified as food secure than for participants identified as food insecure (CI: 1.21-4.28). The odds of "Very Good" or "Excellent" mental health scores were 2.10 times larger for participants identified as food secure than for participants identified as food insecure (CI: 1.13-3.96). Although further research is needed to establish causal relationships between food security, health status, dietary quality, and NSP use, our results advance understanding of the lived experiences of urban AIANs who participate in these programs. These results also emphasize the need for policy changes that reduce administrative complexity, improve program visibility, and incorporate culturally tailored approaches to better serve historically underreported communities.

This article shares the results of a 2022 survey of male, Mexican H-2A workers in Ohio (n = 267). We describe the demographic profile of this population, including age, years of experience in the program, education level, marital status, and Mexican sending state. We then examine the relationship between sending regions of Mexico and certain workplace outcomes, specifically likelihood of working for a foreign labor contractor, subsector of H-2A labor, and risk of being charged to participate in the program. Findings include a higher risk of predatory recruitment practices for men from Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, and a funneling effect towards agriculture (as opposed to nurseries) for those same states. Intended as exploratory research, the results lay the groundwork for similar projects in other states and suggest a place-based approach for developing improvements to the H-2A program.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the health of food system (FS) essential workers compared with other essential and non-essential workers. Even greater disparity exists for workers in certain FS work settings and for certain FS worker subpopulations. We analyzed essential worker respondents (n = 151,789) in May-November 2021 data from the National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module (NIS-ACM) to assess and characterize COVID-19 vaccination uptake (≥1 dose) and intent (reachable, reluctant), attitudes about COVID-19 and the vaccine, and experiences and difficulties getting the vaccine. We compared rates, overall and by certain characteristics, between workers of the same group, and between FS (n = 17,414) and non-food system (NFS) worker groups (n = 134,375), to determine if differences exist. FS worker groups were classified as "agriculture, forestry, fishing, or hunting" (AFFH; n = 2,730); "food manufacturing facility" (FMF; n = 3,495); and "food and beverage store" (FBS; n = 11,189). Compared with NFS workers, significantly lower percentages of FS workers reported ≥1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine or vaccine requirements at work or school, but overall vaccine experiences and difficulties among vaccinated FS workers were statistically similar to NFS workers. When we examined intent regarding COVID-19 vaccination among unvaccinated FS workers compared with NFS counterparts, we found a higher percentage of FMF and FBS workers were reachable whereas a higher percentage of AFFH workers were reluctant about vaccination, with differences by sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, results showed differences in uptake, intent, and attitudes between worker groups and by some sociodemographic characteristics. The findings reflect the diversity of FS workers and underscore the importance of collecting occupational data to assess health inequalities and of tailoring efforts to worker groups to improve confidence and uptake of vaccinations for infectious diseases such as COVID-19. The findings can inform future research, adult infectious disease interventions, and emergency management planning.