Abstract
Rural communities are disproportionally affected by food insecurity, making them vulnerable to the consequences of supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While access to food was initially diminished due to food supply disruptions, little is known about the mechanisms through which federal emergency assistance programs impacted food access in rural populations. Through a series of five focus groups in spring 2021, we examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in a rural Appalachian community in Kentucky. Data were analyzed using a Grounded Theory Approach. Findings revealed the following four primary themes: food scarcity in grocery stores; expanded federal food assistance; expanded community food resources; and expanded home gardening. Participants provided details regarding the way increased federal assistance, especially expanded benefits within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, allowed them to purchase greater quantities of nutritious food. This study unveils the specific impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on one rural population, including the influence of some social determinants of health on food insecurity. Policymakers and stakeholders should recognize the layered protection of multiple federal emergency assistance programs against food insecurity and the potential for long-term population health promotion in rural areas.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of life, including access to food early in the pandemic in the United States [U.S.] [1,2]
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access in a rural, Appalachian community
Coupled with observations from this rural Appalachian sample, these findings demonstrate food insecurity to be a complex public health challenge compounded by many influential factors
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of life, including access to food early in the pandemic in the United States [U.S.] [1,2]. Rural and geographically isolated communities are vulnerable to these disruptions, given the existing challenges to wellbeing, including food insecurity—defined by the U.S Department of Agriculture as “limited or uncertain access to adequate food” [3]—and poorer health relative to their urban counterparts [4]. Rural Appalachia has experienced multiple challenges to health equity and reports some of the highest levels of chronic-disease morbidity and mortality in the U.S [5]. Unmet social needs, such as food insecurity, have been linked to poor health outcomes [6,7] and may be a driver of persistent inequities between rural and urban communities [8]. While initial studies highlighted increased food insecurity at the start of the pandemic [1,2], less is known about the status of food insecurity and its relationship with
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