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Objective: To examine associations among neighbourhood food environments (NFE), household food insecurity (HFI) and child's weight-related outcomes in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of US-born and immigrant/refugee families.Design: This cross-sectional, observational study involving individual and geographic-level data used multilevel models to estimate associations between neighbourhood food environment and child outcomes. Interactions between HFI and NFE were employed to determine whether HFI moderated the association between NFE and child outcomes and whether the associations differed for US-born v. immigrant/refugee groups.Setting: The sample resided in 367 census tracts in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metropolitan area, and the data were collected in 2016-2019.Participants: The sample was from the Family Matters study of families (n 1296) with children from six racial/ethnic and immigrant/refugee groups (African American, Latino, Hmong, Native American, Somali/Ethiopian and White).Results: Living in a neighbourhood with low perceived access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables was found to be associated with lower food security (P < 0·01), poorer child diet quality (P < 0·01) and reduced availability of a variety of fruits (P < 0·01), vegetables (P < 0·05) and whole grains in the home (P < 0·01). Moreover, residing in a food desert was found to be associated with a higher child BMI percentile if the child's household was food insecure (P < 0·05). No differences in associations were found for immigrant/refugee groups.Conclusions: Poor NFE were associated with worse weight-related outcomes for children; the association with weight was more pronounced among children with HFI. Interventions aiming to improve child weight-related outcomes should consider both NFE and HFI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To categorize the home food environment and dietary intake of young children (5-7 years old) from racially/ethnically diverse households using objectively collected data.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: In-home observations in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.Subjects: Families with 5-7-year-old children who identified as Black, White, Hmong, Latino, Native American or Somali.Results: There were many significant differences by race/ethnicity for child dietary intake and for the home food environment, with specific patterns emerging by race/ethnicity. For example, Somali children had high Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) scores, but low daily intakes of fruits and vegetables. Black children had low HEI-2010 scores and a pattern of low intake of healthful foods and high intake of unhealthful foods. White and Latino families had high levels of both healthful and unhealthful home food availability and children with high HEI-2010 scores.Conclusions: Results indicate that the home food environment of young children varies across racial/ethnic group. Study findings also provide new information regarding the home food environment of young children in previously understudied racial/ethnic groups and indicate that interventions working to improve the home food environment and dietary intake of children may want to consider race/ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to describe food purchasing behaviors and the home food environment across families simultaneously receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and other cash and food assistance benefits, and assess how child dietary intake varied across three distinct categories of assistance (i.e., SNAP and other assistance programs, assistance programs other than SNAP, and not enrolled in any assistance program). This cross-sectional study was conducted with parents of children aged 5-9 years (N = 1033) from low-income and racially and ethnically diverse households, living in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan areas. In an online survey, parents reported enrollment in seven assistance programs (SNAP, WIC [Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program], free or reduced-cost school breakfast, free or reduced-cost school lunch, SSI [Supplemental Security Income Program], MFIP [Minnesota Family Investment Program], daycare assistance), food purchasing behaviors, the home food environment, and child dietary and fast-food intake. Descriptive statistics were computed to describe food purchasing behaviors and the home food environment. Multivariable linear regressions were used to evaluate the association between assistance categories and child dietary intake factors. Models were adjusted for child age, parent and child sex, race and ethnicity, household income, primary caregiver's educational attainment, employment status, and place of birth. Relative to families participating in assistance programs other than SNAP and not enrolled in any assistance program, families participating in SNAP and other assistance programs had less reliable modes of transportation to go food shopping (use 'my own car or vehicle' 57% vs. 90% and 83%, respectively), shopped less frequently during the month ('1 big trip a month and small trips in between' 35% vs. 19% and 24%, respectively], had a somewhat higher presence of energy-dense (e.g., 'French fries' 60% vs. 35% and 25%, respectively) and high-sodium food items in the home (e.g., 'canned pasta' meals 48% vs. 35% and 20%, respectively), and some aspects of children's dietary intake that were not congruent with current dietary recommendations (e.g., consumption of 'fried vegetables' 3.9 times/week [95% CI 3.4, 4.4] vs. 2.9 [2.3, 3.5] and 2.8 [2.1, 3.6], respectively). Findings could inform targeted strategies to maximize the impact of simultaneous programs' benefits on improving child dietary intake and reaching eligible households not enrolled in assistance programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]