Food insecurity exists when access to safe, nutritionally adequate foods is limited or uncertain, or when acquisition of these foods occurs in socially unacceptable ways (Anderson, 1990). Considerable research has focused on identifying the risk factors for and potential consequences of household food insecurity; however, few studies have investigated whether and how place of residence might influence household food insecurity. To address this gap in the literature, a mixed methods approach was used to explore the connections between risk factors, household food insecurity, and health in urban and rural settings. This dissertation comprised three studies. In the first study, secondary data were used to identify the household factors that increased the risk for household food insecurity and to examine whether place of residence moderated these relationships. Significant associations were found between household sociodemographics and household food insecurity. In addition, rural households were more likely to report household food insecurity. Although most moderation models were non-significant, a moderation effect was found for educational attainment: secondary school graduation increased the risk for household food insecurity in urban households, yet it was protective in rural households. In the second study, secondary data were used to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and poor general, physical, and mental health, and to test for a moderation effect of place of residence. In the main effects models, household food insecurity was associated with an increased likelihood of poor health on all measures. There was no evidence of urban-rural differences in these relationships. In the third study, qualitative data were used to explore household food insecurity from the perspective of urban and rural residents in Eastern Ontario. Findings revealed that urban and rural residents described similar conditions, processes, and consequences of household food insecurity; however, the unique features of the urban and rural settings influenced how people managed these experiences. In particular, certain aspects of the rural settings added to the complexity of managing household food insecurity. Overall, the results of this dissertation suggest that the urban-rural context, although important, is secondary to the primary contribution of low economic and social resources in household food insecurity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OOU.#10393/26235 |
| Date | 10 October 2013 |
| Creators | Calhoun, Melissa Dawn |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thèse / Thesis |
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