IMPACTS OF INCOME SHOCKS AND SOCIAL PROTECTION ON RURAL HOUSEHOLDS’ FOOD INSECURITY EXPERIENCES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED STATES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Myanmar had one of the lowest confirmed COVID-19 caseloads in the world in mid-2020 and was one of the few developing countries not projected to go into economic recession. However, macroeconomic projections are likely to be a poor guide to individual and household welfare in a fast-moving crisis that has involved disruption to an unusually wide range of sectors and livelihoods. To explore the impacts of COVID-19 disruptions on household poverty and coping strategies, as well as maternal food insecurity experiences, this study used a telephone survey conducted in June and July 2020 covering 2,017 mothers of nutritionally vulnerable young children in urban Yangon and rural villages of Myanmar’s Dry Zone. Stratifying results by location, livelihoods, and asset-levels, and using retrospective questions on pre-COVID-19 incomes and various COVID-19 impacts, we find that the vast majority of households have been adversely affected from loss of income and employment. Over three-quarters cite income/job losses as the main impact of COVID-19 – median incomes declined by one third and $1.90/day income-based poverty rose by around 27 percentage points between January and June 2020. Falling into poverty was most strongly associated with loss of employment (including migrant employment), but also with recent childbirth. The poor commonly coped with income losses through taking loans/credit, while better-off households drew down on savings and reduced non-food expenditures. Self-reported food insecurity experiences were much more common in the urban sample than in the rural sample, even though income-based and asset-based poverty were more prevalent in rural areas. In urban areas, around one quarter of respondents were worried about food quantities and quality, and around 10 percent stated that there were times when they had run out of food or gone hungry. Respondents who stated that their household had lost income or experienced food supply problems due to COVID-19 were more likely to report a variety of different food insecurity experiences. These results raise the concern that the welfare impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are much more serious and widespread than macroeconomic projections would suggest. Loss of employment and casual labor are major drivers of increasing poverty. Consequently, economic recovery strategies must emphasize job creation to revitalize damaged livelihoods. However, a strengthened social protection strategy should also be a critical component of economic recovery to prevent adversely affected households from falling into poverty traps and to avert the worst forms of food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among households with pregnant women and young children. The recent second wave of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar from mid-August onwards makes the expansion of social protection even more imperative.

Myanmar had one of the lowest confirmed COVID-19 caseloads in the world in mid-2020 and was one of the few developing countries not projected to go into economic recession. However, macroeconomic projections are likely to be a poor guide to individual and household welfare in a fast-moving crisis that has involved disruption to an unusually wide range of sectors and livelihoods. To explore the impacts of COVID-19 disruptions on household poverty and coping strategies, as well as maternal food insecurity experiences, this study used a telephone survey conducted in June and July 2020 covering 2,017 mothers of nutritionally vulnerable young children in urban Yangon and rural villages of Myanmar’s Dry Zone.Stratifying results by location, livelihoods, and asset-levels, and using retrospective questions on pre-COVID-19 incomes and various COVID-19 impacts, we find that the vast majority of households have been adversely affected from loss of income and employment. Over three-quarters cite income/job losses as the main impact of COVID-19 – median incomes declined by one third and $1.90/day income-based poverty rose by around 27 percentage points between January and June 2020. Falling into poverty was most strongly associated with loss of employment (including migrant employment), but also with recent childbirth. The poor commonly coped with income losses through taking loans/credit, while better-off households drew down on savings and reduced non-food expenditures. Self-reported food insecurity experiences were much more common in the urban sample than in the rural sample, even though income-based and asset-based poverty were more prevalent in rural areas. In urban areas, around one quarter of respondents were worried about food quantities and quality, and around 10 percent stated that there were times when they had run out of food or gone hungry. Respondents who stated that their household had lost income or experienced food supply problems due to COVID-19 were more likely to report a variety of different food insecurity experiences.These results raise the concern that the welfare impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are much more serious and widespread than macroeconomic projections would suggest. Loss of employment and casual labor are major drivers of increasing poverty. Consequently, economic recovery strategies must emphasize job creation to revitalize damaged livelihoods. However, a strengthened social protection strategy should also be a critical component of economic recovery to prevent adversely affected households from falling into poverty traps and to avert the worst forms of food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among households with pregnant women and young children. The recent second wave of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar from mid-August onwards makes the expansion of social protection even more imperative.

PurposeChildren's food insecurity experiences are largely unrepresented in academic literature. Parents and caregivers cannot always accurately evaluate their children's attitudes or experiences, and even within the same family unit, children and their parents may report differing views and experiences of family food insecurity. The purpose of this narrative review is to identify studies that include children's voices and their perceptions, understanding, and experience of food insecurity in the household.Design/methodology/approachThis narrative review aimed to address the following questions: (1) “What research studies of household food insecurity include children's voices?” and (2) “Across these studies, how do children perceive, understand and experience food insecurity in the household?”. A database search was conducted in October 2022. After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, 16 articles remained for review.FindingsThe findings from this review were organised into three themes: Theme 1: Ways children coped with accessing food or money for food; Theme 2: Food-related strategies children used to avoid hunger; and Theme 3: Children attempt to mask food insecurity.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should further explore the long-term consequences of social pressures and informal economic engagement on children's well-being and social development. By addressing the social determinants of food insecurity, this study can strive to create supportive environments that enable all children to access adequate nutrition and thrive.Social implicationsOverall, the findings of this review demonstrate the significant social pressures that shape children's responses to food insecurity. Results suggest that children's decision-making processes are influenced by the desire to maintain social standing and avoid the negative consequences of being food insecure. As such, this review underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of the social context in which food insecurity occurs and the impact it has on children's lives. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective interventions and policies addressing the multifaceted challenges food insecure children face.Originality/value This review has highlighted a need for interventions to incorporate trauma-informed strategies to protect children from and respond to the psychologically distressing experiences and impact of living in food insecure households.

The lived experience of Co-occurring food insecurity and food addiction: A qualitative study.

Cryoresistance of common carp sperm

“Food prices were high, and the dal became watery”. Mixed-method evidence on household food insecurity and children’s diets in India

The Psychological Distress of Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study of the Emotional Experiences of Parents and Their Coping Strategies

The global food crisis has led to increased interest in food insecurity and its causes and consequences. Much of the focus however has been on mothers and young children, with little attention paid to the possible impacts on the large population of youth in developing countries. The objectives of this paper are to (1) draw attention to the food insecurity experience of a forgotten population, youth; (2) test whether the prevalence of food insecurity among Ethiopian adolescents is increasing with the rising cost of foods; and (3) to identify some individual, household, temporal, and spatial predictors of vulnerability. Data are drawn from a baseline survey in 2006 and a follow-up survey round conducted in 2007 of an ongoing population-based longitudinal study of approximately 2,100 youth living in southwestern Ethiopia. Results show high levels of food insecurity among youth, a marked increase in the experience of food insecurity among youth, and a bias in vulnerability toward youth in the poorest households and in rural households. During the intersurvey period boys were also more likely than girls to become food insecure. This latter finding effectively eliminates the gender bias in food insecurity observed in the baseline survey. Youth who became food insecure between survey rounds were also more likely to report worse health in 2007 than in 2006. Collectively our results suggest that youth are not being adequately buffered from food insecurity, and that generalizations about the current food crisis may be too broad and, thus, misrepresent vulnerable groups. Future research should focus on how to best protect vulnerable youth from the experience of food insecurity and its consequences.

Food insecurity experience negatively impacts children’s educational lives. Most studies assess children’s food insecurity experience through parent reports. However, children may experience food insecurity differently, and this experience can affect their school motivation. This study aims to determine whether the parent-reported child’s experience of food insecurity differs from the child’s own reported experience. This study also examines the relationship between food insecurity experiences and socioeconomic status, and to evaluate the mediating roles of the child’s health status, absenteeism, and perceived academic achievement in the relationship between both parent- and child-reported food insecurity experiences and school motivation. In a province in Turkey, 678 children aged 11–14 years and parents pairs from schools located in neighbourhoods with different socioeconomic levels were included in the study using a multi-stage stratified quota sampling method. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising various instruments. According to parental reports, food insecurity was experienced in four out of five households, while children’s reports indicated that two out of every five experienced varying levels of food insecurity. Socioeconomic status was identified as the primary determinant of food insecurity, and discrepancies were found between parental and child reports. Child food insecurity experience was associated with school motivation through the mediating role of perceived academic achievement, while parental reports of food insecurity experience was associated with school motivation through the mediating role of perceived health status. Food insecurity experience was negatively associated with school motivation, potentially leading to issues with persistence in education. Early identification of at-risk children and families, and connecting them with community resources, can serve as a preventive measure.

Food Insecurity on College and University Campuses: A Context and Rationale for Solutions

Understanding of household food insecurity has come primarily from mothers' reports. We investigated multiple family members' experiences to advance understanding of how low‐income families manage food resources. A sample of 22 families at risk for food insecurity participated in semi‐structured interviews, with youth (aged 9–16), mothers, and other household adults interviewed separately. Interview transcripts were coded iteratively. Although many parents tried to spare their children from experiencing food hardships, children were not fully buffered, with impacts extending beyond hunger to psycho‐social domains critical for children's growth and development. Children were aware of household food insecurity and took responsibility for trying to make food resources last. Awareness was cognitive (knowing that food is scarce), emotional (worry, sadness, or anger related to food scarcity), and physical (hunger, pain, tiredness, or weakness related to food scarcity). Responsibility was manifested as going along with parental strategies, child strategies for making food last, and child activities for bringing more food or money into the household. Parents were unaware of some of their children's experience of food insecurity. Prevalence and experiences of child food insecurity may be underestimated when based solely on maternal report. Funded by Southern Rural Development Center, USDA ERS RIDGE.

Food insecurity, chronic illness, and gentrification in the San Francisco Bay Area: An example of structural violence in United States public policy

Globally, people living with HIV (PLWH) are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. Yet there is limited understanding of the impacts of food insecurity among cisgender and transgender women living with HIV (WLWH) in high-income countries. Thus, it is critical to examine the lived experiences of WLWH and food insecurity to inform policy and service provision. As part of the community-based SHAWNA (Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS: Women's Longitudinal Needs Assessment) study, we conducted 64 semistructured qualitative interviews with WLWH in Vancouver, Canada (2015-2017). Drawing on a socio-ecological framework, this analysis explores the lived experiences of navigating food security and health among WLWH in Metro Vancouver. Our findings indicate that WLWH relied heavily on food banks and other food-related supportive services. Despite the abundance of programs, access to nutritious foods remained difficult, and women often relied on processed foods that were more affordable and readily available. For many, food insecurity was exacerbated by unresponsive food services regulations that did not reflect the actual needs of food service users in terms of opening hours and locations, and a lack of nutritious food. Additionally, the absence of trauma-aware, women-centred and culturally responsive services, as well as, spatial and material barriers related to the recent loss of funding for HIV-specific support services, impeded food security among WLWH. Our findings emphasise that recognizing and addressing the social and structural disparities that exist for WLWH in high-income setting are essential for addressing food insecurity and ultimately optimal health among this population.

IntroductionFood insecurity is one of the most serious issues, especially in developing countries, that harm many public health outcomes through increased under nutrition, mental health problem, and premature mortality. It is widespread socio-economic problem of Ethiopia, with unequal distribution among its regions, during COVID-19 and other shock event manifestations for the last three years. This study aimed to analyse country-wise and region-specific food insecurity prevalence; assess its variation among regions; and identify predictors that influenced households’ food insecurity in Ethiopia during COVID-19.MethodsThis study used longitudinal data from the World Bank's Ethiopia-High Frequency Phone Survey, which looked at 3,300 households' experiences of food insecurity over five rounds, yielding 13,517 observations throughout time. The non-parametric model, Kruskal–Wallis Test, was used to asses food insecurity differences across regions; while the parametric, Generalized Multilevel Binomial Regression Model, was used to identify significant predictors of households’ food insecurity experience.ResultsThere are significant variations in food insecurity among regions of Ethiopia during COVID-19. Sumali was the region with highest food insecurity prevalence followed by Tigray, SNNP, Oromia, and Amhara where these regions were also facing another shocks, in addition to COVID-19, such a displacement and drought. Female-headed household and income loss are directly associated with likelihood of being food insecure. Dwelling in urban (coefficient = -0.3707, p = 0.0003), being employed (coefficient = -0.1869, p = 0.0161), benefiting assistance (coefficient = -0.3504, p = 0.0029), and operating non-farm business during COVID-19 (coefficient = -0.4074, p = 0.0000) were significant and negatively associated predictors of households’ food insecurity. Besides, household’s worry and financial threat due to the outbreak of pandemic were the two COVID-19 related predictors that had significant effect on household’s food insecurity. Income loss was the most determinant variable (coefficient = 0.8562, p = 0.0000) that had largest influence on household’s likelihood of being food insecure. As time went, the decline in food insecurity was attributed to either decreased outbreak of the pandemic and/or improved households’ resilience to shocks.ConclusionsEven while food insecurity is a major issue in Ethiopia, not all its regions are at equal status. Household’s food insecurity is determined by his ability to handle the problem economically, and withstand shock events like COVID-19 that subtly disrupts social and economic networks. Intervention measures taken to insure food insecurity in the country should take in to account regions’ food insecurity inequalities and their vulnerability to shock event manifestations. During shocks, boosting households’ ability to cope up with unexpected risk event can save the exacerbation of food insecurity problem.

Background: In the US, food insecurity is a public health issue and can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of adult populations including those who have cancers. Data on food insecurity among lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other sexual minority (LGB+) adults with cancers (AWCs) is lacking. Further, disparities in food insecurity across LGB+ and racial/ethnic minority AWCs at the national level are not clear. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly available data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey that used stratified clustering sampling to interview US adults aged ≥18 years. We further limited the analysis to adults who 1) had a cancer diagnosis, 2) reported sex assigned at birth, and 3) self-identified as either straight/heterosexual or LGB+. Food insecurity, measured using a 10-item questionnaire assessing household food situations in the past 30 days, was dichotomized as “yes/no.” Weighted proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and compared using Rao-Scott chi-square tests. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compute adjusted odds ratios (aOR [95% CI]) and examine differences in food insecurity by race/ethnicity and sexual orientation. All analyses accounted for complex survey design. Results: We obtained an unweighted sample of 3,517 (weighted sample 23,747,209) AWCs. The mean age was 65.4 years; 3.1% were self-identified as LGB+; 83.5% were White, 6.5% were Black, and 6.3% were Hispanic. Overall, 4.7% (95% CI: 3.8–5.6%) experienced food insecurity. LGB+ AWCs reported a higher proportion of having experienced food insecurity than heterosexual AWCs (14.7% [95% CI: 6.4–23.0%] vs. 4.4% [95% CI: 3.5–5.3%], p<.0001). Among female AWCs, LGB+ AWCs were more likely than heterosexual AWCs to have experienced food insecurity (20.1% [95% CI: 7.7–32.5%] vs. 5.2% [95% CI: 4.0–6.4%], p<.0001). Compared with White AWCs (3.8%, 95% CI: 2.9–4.7%), Black (10.0%, 95% CI: 5.1–15.0%) and Hispanic (9.7%, 95% CI: 5.4–14.1%) AWCs reported higher proportions of having experienced food insecurity (p<.0001). In the adjusted regression model, LGB+ AWCs had higher odds of food insecurity than heterosexual AWCs, though the difference was not statistically significant (aOR=2.01, 95% CI: 0.74–5.48). Black AWCs had higher odds of food insecurity than White AWCs (aOR=2.24, 95% CI: 1.15–4.36). AWCs on Medicaid/Medicare had greater odds of food insecurity than those privately insured (aOR=2.54, 95% CI: 1.43–4.52). AWCs who were not employed also had greater odds of food insecurity than those employed (aOR=3.56, 95% CI: 1.87–6.77). Conclusions: In this national sample of US AWCs, the prevalence of food insecurity was higher in LGB+ and racial/ethnic minority groups. Black and Hispanic AWCs were more likely than their White counterparts to have experienced food insecurity. Our findings suggest the need for intervention programs and public policies addressing food insecurity among AWCs, particularly among those who are in LGB+, racial/ethnic minority, or socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Citation Format: Jincong Q. Freeman, Xinyi Li, Yong Gun Lee. Prevalence of and disparities in food insecurity among racial/ethnic and sexual minority adults with cancers in the US: Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B012.