Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security among East and West African pastoralists☆

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

Economic Reforms and Food Security

Aggregate estimates of food expenditure are consistent with such a possibility, implying income/expenditure elasticities close to one. However, the high degree of aggregation at which such estimates are made means that the considerable increase in price per nutrient as income increases is ignored, and the nutrient elasticities are therefore overstated. Estimates for a rural south Indian sample indicate that this bias is considerable and that the true nutrient elasticities with respect to income may be close to zero.

College Students With Disabilities Report Higher Rates of Food Insecurity

In the general Canadian population, household food insecurity is estimated at 9% and often cited as too high for a high-income country. In parallel, the First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES), a 10-year study, investigated food security levels in 6487 households on 93 reserves across Canada south of the 60th parallel using the same tool in national Canadian surveys, the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and found very high rates of food insecurity, ranging from a low of 29% in reserves in Ontario and a high of 47% in reserves in Alberta. These unacceptably high levels are associated with high levels of obesity (BMI ≥30) among adults (42%-52%) and equally high rates of self-reported diabetes (17-26%). Moreover, diets in all surveyed regions did not meet, on average, Health Canada’s recommendations. In many First Nations communities, traditional food (TF), that is food harvested from the local environment, continues to hold a special cultural and spiritual importance, even if its consumption is low, relatively to food items purchased from the store. This low consumption can be explained by the many barriers reported by the survey participants (climate change, cost of equipment, lack of time, economic activities such as mining and agriculture, etc.). In addition, most participants reported desiring more TF in their diet, indicating another form of food insecurity associated with lack of access to TF. On the other hand, and despite the nutrition transition away from a traditional food system towards a diet dominated by store-bought foods, TF continues to contribute significantly to intakes of macronutrients and several micronutrients of concern in this population, highlighting its great nutritional importance. Preserving the quality of TF and ensuring access are of paramount importance if solutions to the worrying rates in food insecurity and chronic disease are to be found.

Measuring Food Security among American Indian and Alaska Native Adults: Validity Evidence Supports the Use of the US Department of Agriculture Module

To examine the association between level of food security and diabetes self-management among food pantry clients, which is largely not possible using clinic-based sampling methods. Cross-sectional descriptive study. Community-based food pantries in California, Ohio and Texas, USA, from March 2012 through March 2014. Convenience sample of adults with diabetes queuing at pantries (n 1237; 83 % response). Sampled adults were stratified as food secure, low food secure or very low food secure. We used point-of-care glycated Hb (HbA1c) testing to determine glycaemic control and captured diabetes self-management using validated survey items. The sample was 70 % female, 55 % Latino/Hispanic, 25 % white and 10 % black/African American, with a mean age of 56 years. Eighty-four per cent were food insecure, one-half of whom had very low food security. Mean HbA1c was 8·1 % and did not vary significantly by food security status. In adjusted models, very-low-food-secure participants, compared with both low-food-secure and food-secure participants, had poorer diabetes self-efficacy, greater diabetes distress, greater medication non-adherence, higher prevalence of severe hypoglycaemic episodes, higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, more medication affordability challenges, and more food and medicine or health supply trade-offs. Few studies of the health impact of food security have been able to examine very low food security. In a food pantry sample with high rates of food insecurity, we found that diabetes self-management becomes increasingly difficult as food security worsens. The efficacy of interventions to improve diabetes self-management may increase if food security is simultaneously addressed.

Intolerably high rates of food insecurity and micronutrient deficiencies still prevail at an alarming rate in rural poor communities who practice subsistence farming. Despite the fact that, the indigenous fruits and vegetables are abundantly available and are easily accessible in these rural communities. The consumption of indigenous vegetables and fruits can combat the food insecurity and micro-nutrient deficiencies in the resource-constrained communities. This is attributed to negative perceptions shared among rural communities specifically the younger generation are unaware about the indigenous foods. Against this background, the study was developed to assess awareness and perceptions towards indigenous fruits and vegetables in Port St Johns of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Intolerably high rates of food insecurity and micronutrient deficiencies still prevail at an alarming rate in rural poor communities that practice subsistence farming. Even though indigenous fruits and vegetables are abundantly available and are easily accessible in these rural communities. The consumption of indigenous vegetables and fruits can combat food insecurity and micro-nutrient deficiencies in resource-constrained communities. This is attributed to negative perceptions shared among rural communities, specifically the younger generation, who are unaware of indigenous foods. Against this background, the study was developed to assess awareness and perceptions towards indigenous fruits and vegetables in Port St. Johns of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to evaluate the availability of the perceptions of households and the contribution of indigenous fruits and vegetables to household food security. A total of 340 respondents were purposively selected in the study area. A positive impact on household food security was revealed, suggesting that consuming indigenous fruits and vegetables may address rural household dietary diversity and food insecurity. The study argues that indigenous fruits and vegetables may be used as a food security coping strategy at the household level in rural areas, given their availability, especially in summer. Additionally, dispelling several negative perceptions and targeting consumption drivers will enhance the food security nexus of indigenous fruits and vegetables at the household level.

College students with disabilities report higher rates of food insecurity

IntroductionFood security and nutrition have been severely impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to quantify the impacts of the pandemic on food security and diet diversity within Chilanga District in Zambia and identify target areas for high-impact social protection and safety net programs.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in Chilanga district immediately after the Omicron variant surge in February 2022. Diet quality and food security were assessed based on a household diet questionnaire and a Minimum Dietary Diversity-Women (MDD-W) score was calculated. A paired t-test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant change in the MDD-W score and McNemar test was used to investigate the change in food security between the pre- and peri-COVID-19 period.ResultsCompared to the pre-COVID-19 period, there were increases in food prices across the board in the peri-COVID-19 period and decreased consumption of key food categories including legumes, dairy and vitamin A rich foods. Despite high rates of food insecurity, only 6.6% of surveyed households received any cash or in-kind assistance from a government agency, non-profit, or other organization in the post-COVID-19 period.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on food security and dietary diversity in Chilanga district. This is particularly relevant in the low-income communities that we surveyed, which had pre-existing challenges with food security. Additional resources must be invested in Chilanga District and similarly affected areas to address this gap in access to food and promote national equity.Trial Registration N/A.

P34 Examining Skill, Stress, and Time in Food Procurement and Preparation in Food Insecure University Students

The objective of this study is to synthesize and describe the evidence relating to food security among African Canadian communities to inform future research and health policy concerning people of African descent. Food security denotes the timely access to nutritionally and culturally appropriate foods by individuals, families, groups, and communities. In Canada, there are vulnerable groups who experience higher rates of food insecurity, including immigrant and senior populations as well as Indigenous communities. While there is evidence describing food security among these vulnerable groups, food security among African Canadian communities remains poorly understood. The African Canadian community is an integral component of the Canadian population, yet there is a limited understanding of food security among this group. This review will focus on the African Canadian population and food security, which encompasses food access, nutrition, and culturally appropriate foods. Evidence obtained from qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods studies, as well as dissertations and gray literature will be considered for inclusion. This scoping review will be conducted in accordance the JBI scoping review methodology. A comprehensive search strategy developed by a librarian scientist will be used to locate and retrieve relevant sources. A screening tool will be used to screen titles and abstracts as well as the full text of included sources. Data will then be extracted by two independent reviewers, synthesized, and presented narratively, including tables and figures where appropriate.

Food insecurity is a global issue, with higher prevalence of hunger in developing countries. Low crop yield and food production - due to difficult topography and traditional farming methods - combined with lower income; fluctuations in prices and supply, and low quality of food have been causing food insecurity in Nepal. This research examines food (in)security situation in Upper-Mustang, Nepal. The results are derived from the data collected through face–to-face interviews with the heads of 66 households, in-depth interviews conducted with 22 key informants, and discussions with the group of local people in different (6) places. The household food system was studied from livelihood perspectives and food (in)security was assessed in relation to self-sufficiency or production sufficiency, access, utilization, and stability of food. Households in the Trans-Himalaya acquire food from multiple sources such as farming and livestock ranching, buy food from the market, and also receive food aid for the sake of survival during the food crisis. Food security situation in terms of self-production in Upper-Mustang is at worst stage that many households are facing severe to chronic food insecurity. Studied households access marketed food, though the price they pay is very high. The worrisome issue is that there is no significant improvement in food security situation over time in the Trans-Himalaya. Study found that not the household size but dependency ratio in the household increases food insecurity. On the other hand, quality of farmland in terms of cropping intensity and availability of irrigation rather than the farm-plot size contribute for food security. The issue of food security is still a valid development policy goal for Nepal in general and for the Trans-Himalaya in particular. Accordingly, food security interventions are important. Yet, policy for interventions should look into all components of food systems, particularly providing irrigation, promoting local food varieties, and provisioning for food subsidies and food aid together with subsidies in food transport.

The Need for Investment in Rigorous Interventions to Improve Child Food Security

P41 Exploring the Stigma of Childhood Food Insecurity in Appalachia