Beyond Groceries: An Analysis of Referral Needs to Address Underlying Causes of Child Hunger among Households Accessing Food Pantries

Very low food security among children (VLFS-C), often referred to as child hunger, can profoundly hinder child development, family well-being, and community health. Food pantries are important community resources that routinely serve at-risk families. This study investigated the influence of various candidate risk factors for VLFS-C within a food pantry population to inform the development of the "Pantry Assessment Tool against Child Hunger (PATCH)." We collected standardized surveys among a representative sample of households with children accessing food pantry services in Oklahoma (n = 188). Weighted analyses revealed a large majority of households experienced child-level food insecurity (70.6%), with nearly half reporting low food security and nearly one-quarter reporting VLFS-C. We then used logistic regression to identify factors associated with VLFS-C, followed by chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) to assess if, and in what progression, significant risk factors predicted VLFS-C. In unadjusted models, annual household income