Food insecurity among households with children during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Journal of agriculture, food systems, and community development Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 1 - 13
• Main Authors: Houghtaling, Bailey, Haynes-Maslow, Lindsey, Andress, Lauri, Hardison-Moody, Amnie, Grocke-Dewey, Michelle, Holston, Denise, Patton-Lopez, Megan, Pradhananga, Nila, Prewitt, T., Shanks, Justin, Webber, Eliza, Byker Shanks, Carmen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems 16-06-2023
• Subjects: COVID-19; Food Access; Food Insecurity; Households with Children; Pandemic; Social Inequality
• ISSN: 2152-0801; 2152-0801
• DOI: 10.5304/jafscd.2023.123.015

Understanding impacts of the COVID-19 pan­demic among households with children is neces­sary to design appropriate public health responses that protect food and nutrition security. The objec­tive of this research was to understand predictors of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic among households with at least one child (<18 years), including whether foods reported as out-of-stock were associated with the likelihood of food insecurity. An online survey using validated measures and open-ended questions was distrib­uted to a convenience sample in five states—Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, and West Virginia—during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April through September of 2020). Predictors of food insecurity (race/ethnicity, age, marital status, education, federal nutrition assistance program participation, number of adults and children in the household, rurality, and missing foods when shopping) among households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic were modeled using logistic regression (p < 0.05, a priori). To further illuminate household experiences during this time, two researchers independently coded open-ended survey question data using inductive and deductive approaches to construct themes. Households with children had increased odds of experiencing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic if they had the following characteristics: Hispanic ethnicity; age between 25 and 44 years; additional adult household members; economic hardship; SNAP/WIC participation; being widowed, divorced, or separated; and report­ing foods not available when shopping. Partici­pants described mainly negative changes to dietary patterns and practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also described food security chal­lenges and ideas for improving food security. Con­sistent with other data collected and analyzed dur­ing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study contributes findings that emphasize the need for enhanced public health responses and emer­gency preparedness measures that protect food and nutrition security. Because of the increased short- and long-term consequences including exposure to adverse circumstances, impaired learning, risks to mental health, and poor health outcomes, ensuring an adequate food supply is especially important for households with children.