Food insecurity among households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a study among social media users across the United States

Nutrition Journal

Abbey M. Jones¹  Ariadna Capasso²  Ralph J. DiClemente²  Shahmir H. Ali²  Joshua Foreman³  Yesim Tozan⁴  Joyce O’Connor⁵  Niyati Parekh⁶ 

[1] Department of Epidemiology, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, USA;Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, USA;Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, USA;Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;Global Health Program, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, USA;Public Health Nutrition Program, School of Global Public Health, New York University, 715 Broadway New York, Room 1220, 10003, New York, USA;Public Health Nutrition Program, School of Global Public Health, New York University, 715 Broadway New York, Room 1220, 10003, New York, USA;Department of Population Health At NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, USA;Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, USA;

关键词: Food insecurity;    COVID-19;    Households with children;    Social media;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12937-021-00732-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn the United States, approximately 11% of households were food insecure prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aims to describe the prevalence of food insecurity among adults and households with children living in the United States during the pandemic.MethodsThis study utilized social media as a recruitment platform to administer an original online survey on demographics and COVID-related food insecurity. The survey was disseminated through an advertisement campaign on Facebook and affiliated platforms. Food insecurity was assessed with a validated six-item United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Survey Module, which was used to create a six-point numerical food security score, where a higher score indicates lower food security. Individual-level participant demographic information was also collected. Logistic regressions (low/very-low compared with high/marginal food security) were performed to generate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95%CIs for food insecurity and select demographic characteristics.ResultsAdvertisements reached 250,701 individuals and resulted in 5,606 complete surveys. Overall, 14.7% of participants self-identified as having low or very low food security in their households, with higher prevalence (17.5%) among households with children. Unemployment (AOR:1.76, 95%CI:1.09–2.80), high school or lower education (AOR:2.25, 95%CI:1.29–3.90), and low income (AOR[$30,000-$50,000]:5.87, 95%CI:3.35–10.37; AOR[< $30,000]:10.61, 95%CI:5.50–20.80) were associated with higher odds of food insecurity in multivariable models among households with children (and the whole sample).ConclusionsThese data indicate exacerbation of food insecurity during the pandemic. The study will be instrumental in guiding additional research and time-sensitive interventions targeted towards vulnerable food insecure subgroups.

【 授权许可】

CC BY