| dc.description.abstract | In 2022, 12.8% of U.S. households were food insecure, making food security a legitimate concern for the nation (United States Department of Agriculture, 2023). The purpose of this study is to describe food insecurity in a sample of culinary apprentices and community cafe guests and examine the correlation between food security status and measurable indicators of health status such as blood pressure, body mass index and hemoglobin A1C. The Food Security Survey Module, developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, was used to measure if participants had adequate money and resources to access food. Participants scheduled health assessment visits, where their blood pressure, weight, height and hemoglobin A1C were measured. The researcher looked for a correlation between the participant?s level of food security based on the United States Department of Agriculture Adult Food Security Module and their health assessment data values. Current literature supports the idea that food insecure individuals will have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Results from this study showed that the mean systolic blood pressure was statistically significant between the two groups, while no other biological markers were statistically different. As the sample size of the study grows, researchers anticipate that results will match the trends that other researchers have identified between health status indicators and food security. | |
