Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. food assistance programs allowed the use of program benefits to order groceries online. We examined relationships between the food environment, food assistance, online grocery ordering, and diet quality among adults from one low-income, low food access community in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/862 |
| _version_ | 1797618910352113664 |
|---|---|
| author | Daniela C. Avelino Valerie B. Duffy Michael Puglisi Snehaa Ray Brenda Lituma-Solis Briana M. Nosal Matthew Madore Ock K. Chun |
| author_facet | Daniela C. Avelino Valerie B. Duffy Michael Puglisi Snehaa Ray Brenda Lituma-Solis Briana M. Nosal Matthew Madore Ock K. Chun |
| author_sort | Daniela C. Avelino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. food assistance programs allowed the use of program benefits to order groceries online. We examined relationships between the food environment, food assistance, online grocery ordering, and diet quality among adults from one low-income, low food access community in Northeastern Connecticut during the pandemic. Via online survey, adults (n = 276) reported their perceived home and store food environments, food assistance participation, whether they ordered groceries online, and consumption frequency and liking of foods/beverages to calculate diet quality indices. Those who ordered groceries online (44.6%) were more likely to participate in food assistance programs and report greater diet quality. Perceived healthiness of store and home food environments was variable, with the ease of obtaining and selecting unhealthy foods in the neighborhood significantly greater than healthy foods. Healthier perceived home food environments were associated with significantly higher diet qualities, especially among individuals who participated in multiple food assistance programs. Ordering groceries online interacted with multiple measures of the food environment to influence diet quality. Generally, the poorest diet quality was observed among individuals who perceived their store and home food environments as least healthy and who did not order groceries online. Thus, ordering groceries online may support higher diet quality among adults who can use their food assistance for purchasing groceries online and who live in low-income, low-access food environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:20:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ce89e42150a9426c80b4672e6827757b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:20:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-ce89e42150a9426c80b4672e6827757b2023-11-16T22:30:00ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432023-02-0115486210.3390/nu15040862Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments?Daniela C. Avelino0Valerie B. Duffy1Michael Puglisi2Snehaa Ray3Brenda Lituma-Solis4Briana M. Nosal5Matthew Madore6Ock K. Chun7Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USADuring the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. food assistance programs allowed the use of program benefits to order groceries online. We examined relationships between the food environment, food assistance, online grocery ordering, and diet quality among adults from one low-income, low food access community in Northeastern Connecticut during the pandemic. Via online survey, adults (n = 276) reported their perceived home and store food environments, food assistance participation, whether they ordered groceries online, and consumption frequency and liking of foods/beverages to calculate diet quality indices. Those who ordered groceries online (44.6%) were more likely to participate in food assistance programs and report greater diet quality. Perceived healthiness of store and home food environments was variable, with the ease of obtaining and selecting unhealthy foods in the neighborhood significantly greater than healthy foods. Healthier perceived home food environments were associated with significantly higher diet qualities, especially among individuals who participated in multiple food assistance programs. Ordering groceries online interacted with multiple measures of the food environment to influence diet quality. Generally, the poorest diet quality was observed among individuals who perceived their store and home food environments as least healthy and who did not order groceries online. Thus, ordering groceries online may support higher diet quality among adults who can use their food assistance for purchasing groceries online and who live in low-income, low-access food environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/862diet qualityfood accessfood securityfood assistancepovertyfood environment |
| spellingShingle | Daniela C. Avelino Valerie B. Duffy Michael Puglisi Snehaa Ray Brenda Lituma-Solis Briana M. Nosal Matthew Madore Ock K. Chun Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments? Nutrients diet quality food access food security food assistance poverty food environment |
| title | Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments? |
| title_full | Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments? |
| title_fullStr | Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments? |
| title_short | Can Ordering Groceries Online Support Diet Quality in Adults Who Live in Low Food Access and Low-Income Environments? |
| title_sort | can ordering groceries online support diet quality in adults who live in low food access and low income environments |
| topic | diet quality food access food security food assistance poverty food environment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/862 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielacavelino canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT valeriebduffy canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT michaelpuglisi canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT snehaaray canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT brendalitumasolis canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT brianamnosal canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT matthewmadore canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments AT ockkchun canorderinggroceriesonlinesupportdietqualityinadultswholiveinlowfoodaccessandlowincomeenvironments |