Food Desert Status of Family Child Care Homes: Relationship to Young Children’s Food Quality

Lucine Francis, Nancy Perrin, Frank C. Curriero, Maureen M. Black and Jerilyn K. Allen
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Lucine Francis: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Nancy Perrin: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Frank C. Curriero: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Maureen M. Black: Division of Growth and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Jerilyn K. Allen: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: Family child care homes (FCCHs) are a favored child care choice for parents of young children in the U.S. Most FCCH providers purchase and prepare foods for the children in their care. Although FCCH providers can receive monetary support from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federal subsidy program, to purchase nutritious foods, little is known about FCCH providers’ access to nutritious foods, especially among FCCH providers serving children from communities that have been historically disinvested and predominantly Black. This study aims to describe the food desert status of FCCHs in Baltimore City, Maryland, and examine the relationship between food desert status and the quality of foods and beverages purchased and provided to children. A proportionate stratified random sample of 91 FCCH providers by CACFP participation status consented. Geographic information system mapping (GIS) was used to determine the food desert status of each participating FCCH. Participants reported on their access to food and beverages through telephone-based surveys. Nearly three-quarters (66/91) of FCCHs were located in a food desert. FCCH providers working and living in a food desert had lower mean sum scores M (SD) for the quality of beverages provided than FCCH providers outside a food desert (2.53 ± 0.81 vs. 2.92 ± 0.70, p = 0.036, respectively). Although the significant difference in scores for beverages provided is small, FCCH providers working in food deserts may need support in providing healthy beverages to the children in their care. More research is needed to understand food purchases among FCCH providers working in neighborhoods situated in food deserts.

Keywords: family child care homes; food deserts; nutrition best practices; beverages; childhood obesity prevention; GIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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