Food agency in low-income households: A qualitative study of the structural and individual factors impacting participants in a community-based nutrition program

The purpose of this paper is to present in-depth qualitative data obtained from a mixed-methods study of 24 low-income adult participants in a cohort-based community nutrition program designed to improve healthy home-cooking practices by addressing both individual and structural barriers. Based on information from pilot focus groups in which limited time and challenging work schedules were identified as factors that made home cooking more difficult, participants received a slow cooker, in addition to ten deliveries of free, healthy groceries. Data collection centered on two key research questions: (1) How does access to a slow cooker and free, healthy food affect the structural (geographic, economic, time-based) barriers that low-income families face when trying to cook healthy meals at home? And, (2) How, if at all, does participating in a cohort-based nutrition education program affect the individual barriers (including self-efficacy and attitude) to healthy food consumption that participants may experience?