Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Assessing Food Quality And Regulations At Homeless Shelters In Philadelphia, Emily Casaletto, Rickie Brawer, Phd, Mph, Mches

Phase 1

Introduction: Nutritional diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol disorders are particularly high among individuals experiencing homelessness in comparison to the general United States population, leading the propagation of chronic health conditions and overuse of expensive healthcare resources. In addition, the food served in homeless shelters is the main source of nutrition for those living in these shelters, most notably when there is no option for food storage available. Despite the disproportionate prevalence of nutrition-related diseases among the homeless population, there is limited research on the quality of the food provided in homeless shelters and there are few policies to …