How Do Disadvantaged Children Perceive, Understand and Experience Household Food Insecurity?

Stefania Velardo,Christina M Pollard,Sue Booth,Jessica Shipman

doi:10.3390/ijerph18084039

Abstract

Food insecurity is associated with reduced physical, social, and psychological functioning in children. There has been sparse research into child food insecurity that incorporates children’s own perspectives, as adults are often interviewed as child proxies. While a nuanced, child-centred understanding of food insecurity is needed to inform effective policy and program responses, little is known about Australian children’s firsthand understanding or experience of household food insecurity. This study aimed to fill this gap by inviting preadolescent children’s perspectives. Eleven participants aged 10–13 years (seven girls and four boys) took part in the study and were recruited from an Australian charity school holiday camp that targets severely disadvantaged youth. Children took part in individual semi-structured interviews that incorporated drawings and emoji scales. Qualitative interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic techniques. Four themes emerged from the data analysis, children had: (i) financial understanding; (ii) awareness of food insecurity and coping mechanisms; (iii) sharing, empathy, and compassion for food insecure families; and (iv) described the nature of ‘food’ preparation. This study provides a child-centric analysis, demonstrating how children’s agency is enacted and constrained in food insecure contexts. This child-derived understanding of food insecurity provides a critical basis from which to build effective approaches to assess and respond to this significant social issue.

Highlights

Food insecurity refers to the “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways” [1]
Australia does not monitor the prevalence of food insecurity among children, available data suggests the number of Australian children vulnerable to food insecurity is high [7]
In 2017, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund estimated that 16% of Australian children aged younger than 15 years lived with an adult who is moderately food insecure, and 4.9% lived with an adult who is severely food insecure [8]

Summary

Introduction

Food insecurity refers to the “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways” [1]. Despite being a wealthy country, many Australians experience food insecurity, underpinned by rising levels of inequality [2]. 900,000 Australians live in a household that “in the previous 12 months had run out of food and been unable to buy more” in 2013, according to the latest national survey [3]. The single item measure used in the national surveillance survey is likely to underestimate the prevalence of food insecurity in Australia [4,5]. Poor or inconsistent surveillance of food insecurity in some developed countries has prompted urgent calls for more robust and routine systems [6]. Australia does not monitor the prevalence of food insecurity among children, available data suggests the number of Australian children vulnerable to food insecurity is high [7]. In 2017, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund estimated that 16% of Australian children aged younger than 15 years lived with an adult who is moderately food insecure, and 4.9% lived with an adult who is severely food insecure [8]

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Conclusion