Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 420 E Superior St, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Chicago Street Medicine, 1074 W. Taylor St #381, Chicago, IL, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Dec 6;23(1):2430. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16790-6.
Those experiencing houselessness rely on obtaining food from community organizers and donations. Simultaneously, the houseless face disproportionally high rates of medical conditions that may be affected by diet including diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. There is limited literature on the resources and barriers of the houseless community regarding optimal nutrition from an actionable perspective. Further, less data is available on how street medicine organizations may best impact the nutrition of the unhoused they serve. Elucidating this information will inform how organizational efforts may best support the nutrition of the houseless community.
In partnership with the medical student-run organization, Chicago Street Medicine, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, twenty adults experiencing houselessness in Chicago, Illinois participated in the cross-sectional study. A 10-item survey was verbally administered to characterize the participants' daily food intake, food sources, barriers, resources, and nutritional preferences and needs. All data was directly transcribed into REDCap. Descriptive statistics were generated.
Individuals consumed a median of 2 snacks and meals per day (IQR: 1-3). No participant consumed adequate servings of every food group, with only one participant meeting the dietary intake requirements for one food group. Participants most often received their food from donations (n = 15), purchasing themselves (n = 11), food pantries (n = 4), and shelters (n = 3). Eleven of nineteen participants endorsed dental concerns as a major barrier to consuming certain foods. Twelve participants had access to a can opener and twelve could heat their meals on a stove or microwave. Seven had access to kitchen facilities where they may prepare a meal. Approximately half of participants had been counseled by a physician to maintain a particular diet, with most related to reducing sugar intake.
Most houseless participants were unable to acquire a balanced diet and often relied on organizational efforts to eat. Organizations should consider the chronic health conditions, dentition needs, and physical resources and barriers to optimal nutrition when obtaining food to distribute to the unhoused.
无家可归者依靠社区组织者和捐赠来获取食物。与此同时，无家可归者面临着不成比例的高医疗条件，包括糖尿病、高血压和高血脂，这些条件可能会受到饮食的影响。关于无家可归者社区从可操作角度获得最佳营养的资源和障碍，文献有限。此外，关于街头医疗组织如何最大程度地影响他们所服务的无家可归者的营养状况的数据较少。阐明这些信息将告知组织努力如何最好地支持无家可归者社区的营养。
在西北大学范伯格医学院的医学生运营组织芝加哥街头医学的合作下，20 名在伊利诺伊州芝加哥无家可归的成年人参加了这项横断面研究。通过口头方式向参与者发放了一份 10 项的调查问卷，以描述参与者的日常食物摄入量、食物来源、障碍、资源以及营养偏好和需求。所有数据都直接转录到 REDCap 中。生成描述性统计数据。
个体每天摄入中位数为 2 份零食和正餐（IQR：1-3）。没有参与者每一种食物都摄入足够的份量，只有一名参与者符合一种食物组的饮食摄入要求。参与者最常从捐赠（n=15）、自购（n=11）、食品分发处（n=4）和收容所（n=3）获得食物。19 名参与者中有 11 名表示牙齿问题是他们食用某些食物的主要障碍。12 名参与者有开罐器，12 名可以在炉子或微波炉上加热食物。7 名参与者可以使用厨房设施做饭。大约一半的参与者曾被医生建议保持特定的饮食，其中大多数与减少糖的摄入量有关。
大多数无家可归的参与者无法获得均衡的饮食，经常依靠组织的努力来进食。组织在为无家可归者获取食物时，应考虑到慢性健康状况、牙齿需求以及身体资源和障碍，以获得最佳营养。
