'You run out of hope': an exploration of low-income parents' experiences with food insecurity using Photovoice.

objectiveUsing an adaption of the Photovoice method, this study explored how food insecurity affected parents' ability to provide food for their family, their strategies for managing household food insecurity and the impact of food insecurity on their well-being.

designParents submitted photos around their families' experiences with food insecurity. Afterwards, they completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews about their photos. The interviews were transcribed and analysed for thematic content using the constant comparative method.

settingSan Francisco Bay Area, California, USA.

participantsSeventeen parents (fourteen mothers and three fathers) were recruited from a broader qualitative study on understanding the experiences of food insecurity in low-income families.

resultsFour themes were identified from the parents' photos and interviews. First, parents described multiple aspects of their food environment that promoted unhealthy eating behaviours. Second, parents shared strategies they employed to acquire food with limited resources. Third, parents expressed feelings of shame, guilt and distress resulting from their experience of food insecurity. And finally, parents described treating their children to special foods to cultivate a sense of normalcy.

conclusionsParents highlighted the external contributors and internal struggles of their experiences of food insecurity. Additional research to understand the experiences of the food-insecure families may help to improve nutrition interventions targeting this structurally vulnerable population.