| Summary: | Food security, nutritional adequacy, and anthropometrics were assessed in 30 low-income women living in rural Louisiana. For food stamp recipients, a 24-hour-diet recall was collected at the beginning (Day 1) and another at the end (Day 2) of their monthly resource cycle; for non-food stamp recipients, the first 24-hour diet recall was collected at a time that was specified by participants (Day 1) and the second was collected approximately 31/2 weeks later.
Twenty-one of the 30 participants received food stamps. Ten of the 30 participants were food insecure. Of the 10 food insecure participants, seven received foods stamps. As a whole, participants were overweight. Irrespective of grouping, participants diets were similar and poor. Many participants did not consume at least 67% of the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) or Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for energy; calcium; iron; zinc; folate; and vitamins A, D, E, and C. Participants were more likely to meet at least 67% of the RDA or DRI for protein; vitamins B6 and B12; niacin; thiamin; and riboflavin. With the exception of the fats/sweets group, participants also failed in meeting the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations. Between 30% and 50% of the entire population exceeded the National Cholesterol Education Program recommendations for total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. The number of eating episodes and number of different foods consumed was also low. Food insecure participants had a significantly higher weight (p=0.0079), body mass index (p=0.0135), and percent body fat (p=0.0298) than food secure participants. A significant difference was found between Day 1 and Day 2 for mean differences in energy (p=0.0367), saturated fat (p=0.0178), and monounsaturated fat (p=0.0324) for food stamp recipients and non food stamp recipients. There was a significant difference between Day 1 and Day 2 in the mean number of servings of fats and sweets consumed for the entire population (p=0.0183). Participants were unable to define a balanced meal.
Inadequate nutrient intake increases the risk of developing a nutrition-related disease. Nutrition education programs could benefit participants in making better food choices
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