A comparison of the nutritional status and food security of drug‐using and non‐drug‐using Hispanic women in Hartford, Connecticut

This study compared food insecurity, nutritional status (as measured through anthropometry and dietary intake), and food preparation patterns of low‐income Puerto Rican female out‐of‐treatment drug users with that of low‐income Puerto Rican women who reported no drug use. A convenience sample of 41 drug users was compared with 41 age‐matched non‐drug‐users from inner‐city Hartford, Connecticut. A culturally appropriate food frequency questionnaire was administered and anthropometric measurements were taken. The findings suggest a high degree of poverty among all study participants, but in particular among drug users. Drug users were more likely than the controls to be food insecure ( P < 0.05) and to be exposed to increasingly severe food sufficiency problems. The daily frequency of consumption of vegetables was lower ( P = 0.03) for drug users than non‐drug‐users. Conversely, the frequency of consumption for sweets/ desserts was significantly higher for drug users than the controls ( P = 0.0001). Drug users, who were classified as food insecure were less likely to consume vegetables ( P = 0.004) and fish ( P = 0.03) than were controls who were food insecure. When comparing drug users with controls, the former group reported consuming fewer meals during a usual week than the latter group ( P < 0.0001). Drug users were more likely to fry foods ( P = 0.02) while the controls were more likely to bake ( P = 0.005), boil ( P = 0.02), and steam ( P = 0.002) foods. All anthropometric measurements, except for height, were significantly lower for drug users. The results show that drug users generally maintain poorer nutritional status than non‐drug‐users. Nutrition interventions as part of drug treatment are needed. Am J Phys Anthropol 107:351–361, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.