Food Insecurity Determinants amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Insight from Huntsville, Texas

Abstract

Food insecurity continues to affect a large number of the U.S households during the novel COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has indeed threatened the livelihood of people, making them vulnerable to severe hardship and has had an unanticipated impact on the U.S economy. While researchers have carried out studies in some cities in Texas to ascertain the degree of food insecurity in households, none has examined the status of food insecurity amongst the households in the city of Huntsville, following COVID-19. Thus, this study attempts to identify the food insecurity status of households and the determinant factors driving household food insecurity in Huntsville, Texas. Additionally, the research attempts to identify the mitigation measures adopted by households during the pandemic in the city. Therefore, a structured online sample survey was used to collect data, while household expenditures survey was utilized in evaluating the food security status of households. The data were subjected to a critical evaluation via descriptive statistics and logistic regression modeling. A logistic regression model was used to determine the factors responsible for food insecurity in the study area. The examination showed that COVID-19 had a practical effect on the lives and source(s) of income of majority of the respondents. However, most households in the study area were food secure, because a significant proportion were educated, and fully employed, while those who had part time jobs or unemployed were food insecure. Also, the provisions of the American Rescue Plan and economic impact payment enabled food security amongst the households in Huntsville, Texas. Overall, the research evinced that 63.13 % of households were food secure as a result of societal support from charitable organizations, while 36.87 were food insecure in the city of Huntsville, Texas.