Twin Cities has high rates of families lacking access to healthy, affordable food

On average, Twin Cities families, compared with families across the state and nation, have less access to healthy, affordable food. That’s according to new research from the University of Minnesota. 

The highest rates of what is called food insecurity were found in women, Asian Americans (primarily Hmong) and other non-white racial groups, and single parents. 

Meg Bruening, a U of M PhD student and research assistant involved in the study, explains why we should be concerned.   

“What we found is that food insecure parents had poorer nutritional outcomes. There’s less access to fruits and vegetables, parents were more likely to report skipping breakfast, or serving less healthy foods at meals,” Bruening said. “And, so, that relates to their overall health. We also found that food insecure parents had higher prevalences of overweight and obesity compared to food secure parents.”

More needs to be done for vulnerable families

For this study, researchers didn’t look at why the Twin Cities had higher rates of families lacking access to healthy and affordable food, but Bruening provides some possible reasons. 

“There are a lot more low-income people within the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities are known for health disparities,” she said. “There are employment disparities within the Twin Cities and that can relate to how much income somebody has to purchase food and oftentimes families have to choose between what’s called the phenomenon of heating or eating — whether or not they heat their home or they feed their family.”

She added that the findings provide additional evidence that policymakers need to maintain and build a stronger safety net for families struggling with poverty and food insecurity.

“More is needed to be done to protect vulnerable families so that everyone has access to affordable, healthy foods, which may result in improved nutrition-related outcomes.”

About the study

Data came from the study, Project F-EAT (Families and Eating and Activity in Teens), a population-based study of parents of adolescents aimed at learning more about food, physical activity, and home food environments. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a University of Minnesota professor of epidemiology, led the study. She, Bruening, and other U of M School of Public Health researchers collected survey data from 2,095 parents and caregivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts over a 12-month period.

Study results revealed that 39 percent of the parents and caregivers surveyed experienced food insecurity, which was tied to a number of problematic measures, such as higher rates of obesity among parents and caregivers, fewer healthy foods served at meals and a higher rate of binge eating. Researchers also found that just over 13 percent of study participants reported very low food security.

Listen to Bruening on Public Health Moment

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