Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Patrick Tschida

Abstract

Hunger and food insecurity are public health issues with 38 million people in the US struggling with food hardship. This study examined if there was a relationship between four types of social capital (SC) (bonding, bridging, community structural-formal, and community structural-informal), income, and food insecurity risk (FIR), in two counties in Wisconsin. A quantitative descriptive correlational study design involving multiple linear regression analysis and the integral model framework was conducted with cross-sectional secondary data from the 2014-2016 Survey of the Health of Wisconsin. Participants were from Milwaukee (n = 335) and Dane County (n = 235). Results revealed that in Milwaukee County, community structural formal SC (e.g., WIC, SHARE) was positively associated (β = .135, p = .015) with FIS risk, while community structural informal SC (e.g., farmers market, supermarkets) was inversely associated (β = -.190, p = .028) with FIS risk. In Dane County, only bonding SC was inversely associated (β = -.283, p <.001) with FIS risk. When examining income, social capital, and food insecurity risk, for both Milwaukee (MIL) and Dane (DA) County, significant inverse correlations were found for bonding SC (MIL, β = -.152, p =.025), (DA, β = -.178, p = .024); 200% of federal poverty level & below (MIL, β = -.346, p < .001), (DA, β = -.418, p < .001); and education attained, (MIL, β = -.187, p =.013), (DA, β = -.157, p = .021). By adopting targeted actions into nutrition and health practice that enhance the food insecure’s bonding relationships, sense of belonging, awareness/access to community food resources, and self-efficacy, while promoting public policy reforms for greater education attained and a living wage, positive social change can be achieved.

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