Suboptimal Diets Identified Among Adults in Two Rural States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Rural communities face unique food and nutrition challenges. Analyzing population-level survey data from 2021 to 2022 in two predominantly rural U.S. states using regression and multiple hypothesis testing procedures, we examined how well diets align with national recommendations and associations between diet, age, food security, and rurality. We found dietary intake of key foods and ingredients to differ significantly from recommendations and overall diet quality to increase with age. Food secure adults had higher diet quality than food insecure adults. Neither dietary intake nor dietary quality differed by degree of rurality. Continued action is needed to address nutrition challenges among underserved populations.