Abstract
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.
Highlights
In the United States, approximately 11% of households were food insecure prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
Using validated measures from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the present study aims to assess the prevalence of food insecurity in a nationwide sample of adults and of households with children during the COVID-19 epidemic in the US
Those who completed the survey or were ineligible to participate were provided with a list of websites with COVID-19 resources from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Summary
In 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. Prior to COVID-19, approximately 11% of households in the United States (US) were food insecure; among them, Parekh et al Nutr J (2021) 20:73. Higher unemployment due to pandemicrelated job losses combined with interruptions in the food supply chain have left consumers to purchase foods that they can afford and access [7]. The unpredictable food supply has led to consumers stockpiling shelf-stable foods, in particular foods that were accessible and affordable [5, 9]. Reports during the lockdown from US grocery stores have noted historically high sales of shelf-stable and packaged ultra-processed foods [11, 12]
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