High Food Security Research Articles

Global Patterns of Agricultural Investment and Food Security: Evidence from the fDi Markets Database.

The number of hungry people is on the rise and more efforts are needed to improve the global food security status. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) proposes more investment in the agricultural sector to boost production and alleviate hunger. However, there are fewer papers that distinguish enterprises investment from public investment. In this case, we take advantage of detailed investment data in the fDi Markets database to explore the global patterns of agricultural investment. In particular, we identify the top destination countries based on aggregate and sub-sectoral agricultural investment data. Then we investigate the relationship between agricultural investment and food security, which is measured by per capita protein intake. Finally, we propose some suggestions from the investment motivation perspective to help food-insecure countries to attract overseas investment. We find that developed countries are the primary sources of global agricultural investment and these sources have been becoming more diverse in the past decade. It implies the trend towards a more inclusive investment environment worldwide. However, the global distribution of agricultural investment is uneven as food-insecure countries only receive 20% of the global agricultural investment. The top three destination countries, USA, China, and Russia, have a relatively high food security level. In contrast, countries suffering from food insecurity receive fewer investment projects, and most of which are on a small scale. Given the limited socio-economic development status in food-insecure countries, it is essential for all levels of society to help them and contribute to ending hunger.

ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY AMONG MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING COVID-19: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

University students are among the population that is most prone to experiencing food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students experiencing food insecurity have a higher likelihood of performing poorly at university. However, only a few studies have been conducted in Malaysia to determine the association between food insecurity, and academic performance among university students during COVID-19. As a result, the purpose of this study was to investigate the aforementioned association between variables. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 undergraduate students from Malaysia's selected public universities in each zone. This self-administered online survey is divided into three sections: demographic and socioeconomic factors; food security status via the USDA (food security survey module, FSSM); and students' current academic performance (based on ICGPA). SPSS version 25 was used to analyse the data. The result indicates the majority of the respondents were classified to have a marginal food security level (38.0%), followed by high food security level (31.0%), low food security level (21.7%), and the remaining (9.30%) were classified to have a very low food security level. The majority of respondents (45.3%) had a CGPA of 3.50 to 4.00. The study showed a statistically significant association between food insecurity and current CGPA among Malaysian university students (1, n=300) = 7.739 and p=0.021. The association between food insecurity and academic performance may be accounted for by a range of causes, including hunger, despair, and ill health. Selecting the extent to which each possible relationship between food insecurity and low academic performance contributes can aid health-related authorities in determining the most effective areas for intervention.

240 Community Participant-based Study Design: Use of Virtual Focus Groups to Explore Acceptability of a Cooking Intervention among African-American Women Living in Washington, D.C.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: African-Americans are at increased risk for nutrition disparities; home cooking is a strategy to optimize dietary quality. to develop a cooking intervention, a mixed-methods community-based participatory, acceptability study was conducted to understand cooking behaviors, options for intervention content, and implementation factors. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Self-identified African-American adults were recruited from a larger community-based study within Washington, D.C. Five moderated virtual focus groups with four participants in each group were conducted in March and April of 2021. A semi-structured moderator’s guide focused on cooking, meal habits, food choices, and the proposed cooking intervention was utilized. Qualitative data collected were verbatim transcriptions and notes from research team members. Thematic analysis was conducted using an iterative process among research team members. Participant validation interviews were conducted following the research team analysis. Electronic self-administered surveys were used to measure demographic, food environment, cooking behavior, health behavior, and psychosocial variables. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Study participants (n=20 females, mean age 60.1 years) lived in low-food resource neighborhoods but reported high food security (n=14). Barriers to the intervention included traveling distances to other neighborhoods for produce, poor quality of vegetables and fruit within neighborhood stores, lack of trustworthiness from neighborhood store experiences, perception of decreased cooking skills, and competing priorities related to time and weekday schedules. Motivators included health promotion for self, family, community, and enjoyment from cooking. Virtual or in-person sessions were suggested. Intervention options included costs of recipe ingredients, using recipes with ingredient flexibility, nutrition information, and provisioning of or compensation for ingredients used in virtual classes. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Use of virtual focus groups for a participant-based design of a cooking intervention among African American adults living in low-food access neighborhoods provided acceptability results that were food and home environments contextual and provided barriers and motivators to participation and implementation of behavior from the intervention.

Prevalence and socio-economic determinates of food insecurity in Veterans: findings from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

To determine predictors of the association between being a Veteran and adult food security, as well as to examine the relation of potential covariates to this relationship. Data collected during 2011-2012, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were pooled for analyses. Veterans (self-reported) were matched to non-Veterans on age, race/ethnicity, sex and education. Adjusted logistic regression was used to determine the odds of Veterans having high food security v. the combination of marginal, low and very low food security compared with non-Veterans. 2011-2012, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 NHANES. 1227 Veterans; 2432 non-Veterans. Veteran status had no effect on the proportion of food insecurities between Veterans and non-Veterans reporting high (Veterans v. non-Veteran: 79 % v. 80 %), marginal (9 % v. 8 %), low (5 % v. 6 %) and very low (8 % v. 6 %) food security (P = 0·11). However, after controlling for covariates, Veterans tended to be less likely to have high food security (OR: 0·82 (95 % CI 0·66, 1·02), P = 0·07). Further, non-Hispanic White Veterans (OR: 0·72 (95 % CI 0·55, 0·95), P = 0·02) and Veterans completing some college (OR: 0·71 (95 % CI 0·50, 0·99), P < 0·05) were significantly less likely to experience high food security compared with non-Veterans. This study supports previous research findings that after controlling for covariates, Veterans tend to be less likely to have high food security. It also highlights ethnicity and level of education as important socio-economic determinates of food security status in Veterans.

Dose response relationship between food insecurity and quality of life in United States adults: 2016–2017

BackgroundFood insecurity is associated with worse general health rating, but little research exists investigating whether there is a dose response relationship across levels of food security and mental and physical health domains at the population level.MethodsData from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2016–2017) with US adults aged 18 years and older was used. The physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of Quality of Life, served as the outcome measures. Four categories of food insecurity (high, marginal, low, very low food security) served as the primary independent variable. Linear regression was used to run unadjusted followed by adjusted models. Separate models were run for PCS and MCS.ResultsIn a sample of US adults, 16.1% reported some degree of food insecurity. For PCS, marginal (β = − 2.54 (p < 0.001), low (β = − 3.41, (p < 0.001), and very low (β = − 5.62, (p < 0.001) food security was associated with worse PCS scores, compared to adults with high food security. For MCS, marginal (β = − 3.90 (p < 0.001), low (β = − 4.79, (p < 0.001), and very low (β = − 9.72, (p < 0.001) food security was associated with worse MCS scores, compared to adults with high food security.ConclusionIncreasing levels of food insecurity were associated with decreased physical and mental health quality of life scores. This relationship was not explained by demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, insurance, or comorbidity burden. This study suggests work is needed to mitigate the impact of social risk, such as food insecurity, on quality of life in adults, and understand pathways and mechanisms for this relationship.

Abstract P656: Household Food Insecurity is Adversely Associated With Ideal Cardiovascular Health in US Adults: An Updated Analysis Using the American Heart Association’s New Life’s Essential 8 Measure

Introduction: Food insecurity, a condition of limited household food availability due to insufficient resources, is a critical social determinant of health. Food insecurity increases the risks for poor physical, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in the US, and adults with food insecurity may face a high burden of cardiovascular disease risk. This study aimed to examine the associations between household food security status and ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), defined using the American Heart Association (AHA)’s new Life’s Essential 8 measure. We hypothesized that greater severity of food insecurity will be associated with lower overall cardiovascular health. Methods: Data came from 14,619 adults ≥20 years from the 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Food security was measured using the 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module, and categorized into households with high, marginal, low, and very low food security. Per AHA criteria, ideal CVH was calculated as scores (0-100) indicating the attainment of standards for diet, physical activity, smoking, sleep, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Overall CVH was calculated as the unweighted average score across the eight metrics and overall average CVH score ≥80 was considered high CVH. We used linear and logistic regression models to examine the associations between household food security and ideal CVH outcomes, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Complex survey weights were applied to all analyses. Results: In the sample, 72.7% of adults had high food security, 10.0% had marginal food security, 10.4% had low food security, and 6.8% had very low food security. The mean overall CVH score was 68.8 (SE 0.3), ranging from 70.2 (SE 0.3) for high food security to 62.7 (SE 1.8) for very low food security. After multivariate adjustment, marginal food security (β= -1.5, 95% CI -2.9, -0.1), low food security (β= -3.0, 95% CI -4.4, -1.7), and very low food security (β= -4.7, 95% CI -6.4, -3.0) were each associated with lower overall CVH scores when compared to high food security ( P-trend&lt;0.0001 ). These associations were driven by lower mean scores for diet, tobacco, sleep, BMI, and blood glucose with greater severity of food insecurity ( P-trends&lt;0.05 ). Furthermore, low food security (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.45, 0.74) and very low food security (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.37, 0.73) were both associated with lower odds of high CVH. Results remained significant in sensitivity analyses restricting the sample to adults with family incomes ≤300% of the federal poverty level. Discussion: Household food insecurity was adversely associated with cardiovascular health metrics in a dose-response fashion. Public health interventions and policies should consider a holistic approach to health promotion among populations with food insecurity.

Impact of smoking cessation on household food security

Smokers can spend a substantial amount on cigarettes, potentially constraining their ability to purchase food. We tested the association of smoking cessation and household food security. Using the Current Population Survey (2001-2019), we longitudinally linked the Tobacco Use Supplement and the Food Security Supplement (n=71,278). Among adult smokers (n=13,144), we used modified Poisson regression to model household food insecurity as a function of quit status (continuing smokers vs. recent quitters), adjusting for sex, age, household size, children in the household, and other household smokers. We also used multinomial logistic regression to examine more detailed food security status (high, marginal, low, very low). The adjusted probability of household food insecurity at follow-up was 11% (95% CI: 8.7%-13%) for recent quitters and 20% (95% CI: 19%-21%) for continuing smokers. Continuing smokers had a lower adjusted probability of high food security (69% vs. 80%) and a higher adjusted probability of marginal (11% vs. 9.8%), low (12% vs. 7%), and very low food security (7.8% vs. 3.6%) compared to recent quitters. Cigarette cessation is associated with a lower risk of household food insecurity. Therefore, promoting tobacco cessation alongside food assistance and poverty reduction policies may help alleviate food insecurity.

Food insecurity and sleep health by race/ethnicity in the United States.

Food insecurity, poised to increase with burgeoning concerns related to climate change, may influence sleep, yet few studies examined the food security-sleep association among racially/ethnically diverse populations with multiple sleep dimensions. We determined overall and racial/ethnic-specific associations between food security and sleep health. Using National Health Interview Survey data, we categorised food security as very low, low, marginal and high. Sleep duration was categorised as very short, short, recommended and long. Sleep disturbances included trouble falling/staying asleep, insomnia symptoms, waking up feeling unrested and using sleep medication (all ≥3 d/times in the previous week). Adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and other confounders, we used Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for sleep dimensions by food security. Among 177 435 participants, the mean age of 47⋅2 ± 0⋅1 years, 52⋅0% were women, and 68⋅4% were non-Hispanic (NH)-White. A higher percent of NH-Black (7⋅9%) and Hispanic/Latinx (5⋅1%) lived in very low food security households than NH-White (3⋅1%) participants. Very low v. high food security was associated with a higher prevalence of very short (PR = 2⋅61 [95% CI 2⋅44-2⋅80]) sleep duration as well as trouble falling asleep (PR = 2⋅21 [95% CI 2⋅12-2⋅30]). Very low v. high food security was associated with a higher prevalence of very short sleep duration among Asian (PR = 3⋅64 [95% CI 2⋅67-4⋅97]) and NH-White (PR = 2⋅73 [95% CI 2⋅50-2⋅99]) participants compared with NH-Black (PR = 2⋅03 [95% CI 1⋅80-2⋅31]) and Hispanic/Latinx (PR = 2⋅65 [95% CI 2⋅30-3⋅07]) participants. Food insecurity was associated with poorer sleep in a racially/ethnically diverse US sample.

Food Insecurity Among College Students with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Food Insecurity Among College Students with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic Krista M Soria (bio) and Vanessa Coca (bio) Over the last several years, scholars have drawn attention to the growing rates of food insecurity among college and university students in the US (Broton & Goldrick-Rab, 2018; The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice [The Hope Center], 2021). Food insecurity is a multifaceted concept commonly defined as the limited availability of nutritious foods, the uncertain ability to acquire nutritious foods, or the inability to acquire nutritious foods (Anderson, 1990). Food insecurity also constitutes interrupted eating patterns or a reduction in the quality of diet due to the lack of resources to access nutritious food (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2020). An estimated 40% of undergraduate students experience food insecurity (The Hope Center, 2021). Although research on food insecurity in college students is expanding, examinations into whether there are different rates of food insecurity by students' demographic characteristics have focused primarily on students' race/ethnicity, age, income or socioeconomic status, and sex or gender (The Hope Center, 2021; Morris et al., 2016; Wood & Harris, 2018). At present, researchers have not focused on food insecurity rates among college students with disabilities. The omission of food insecurity research on college students with disabilities is concerning due to the prevalence of students with disabilities in higher education—nearly one in five undergraduates has a disability (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2021). Due to many forms of oppression, including ableism, racism, classism, and more, students with disabilities encounter more barriers in higher education, leading to reduced degree completion rates (Lett et al., 2020; NCES, 2022). Food insecurity is a factor associated with lower degree completion rates among students and is one of many factors that could exacerbate the existing disparities in degree completion rates (Wolfson et al., 2021). The topic of food insecurity is even more important to examine during the initial semesters of the COVID-19 pandemic when college students experienced significant and sudden financial hardships (Soria et al., 2022; The Hope Center, 2021). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether college students with disabilities had significantly different odds of experiencing food insecurity compared to their peers when controlling for additional demographic variables and COVID-19 experiences. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK We used Glover and colleagues' (2020) conceptual framework for mitigating the equity harms of COVID-19. The model stipulated [End Page 102] that inequitable COVID-19 policies may have generated additional harms to individuals who were already marginalized, oppressed, and disenfranchised prior to the pandemic, including individuals with disabilities. Exacerbated food insecurity rates among marginalized groups (such as students with disabilities) during the pandemic may be a manifestation of pre-existing intersectional forms of oppression (i.e., ableism, racism) coupled with inequitable COVID-19-related policies. Glover et al. cited demographic variables associated with COVID-19 equity harms, including disability, employment, race/ethnicity, gender, and family education, and we used many of those demographic variables in our analysis. METHODOLOGY: INSTRUMENT, SAMPLE, MEASURES, AND ANALYSIS We used data from the 2020 #RealCollege Survey, which was administered to 1.84 million college students at 130 community and technical colleges and 72 four-year colleges in 42 states from September to November 2020. The response rate averaged 10.6% (N = 195,629), although only a smaller subset of 70,210 students who were also enrolled in spring 2020 answered the COVID-19-specific items (Table 1). The survey assessed students' food security using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA, 2012) 18-item set of questions (full items and methodology for summing the scale are available online via The Hope Center, 2021). The scale had excellent reliability in this study (α = .924) and can be converted to a four-level measure of food security level (i.e., very low, low, marginal, or high; The Hope Center, 2021). However, we dichotomized the results to provide a snapshot of whether students experienced food insecurity (0 = student is food secure [marginal or high food security], 1 = student is food insecure [very low or low food security]). Students reported demographic characteristics, which we converted using effect coding except in the case of dichotomous variables (e.g., full...

Yield potentials of improved rice varieties for increased lowland rice production within the mankran watershed in Ghana

ABSTRACT Rice production in Ghana is limited by low varietal choices, which puts farmers at a disadvantage in meeting the market demand for consumers. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the yield potentials of improved rice varieties developed by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), and (ii) to allow farmers to select improved varieties of their choice based on growth and yield, as observed in the field, in order to ensure a high adoption rate, increase productivity and food security. Two seasons (i.e. 2020 major and 2020–2021 minor) field experiments were conducted at two lowland within the Mankran watershed in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The experiment comprised thirteen (13) improved varieties and two local checks and was conducted using recommended good agronomic practices. The key findings of the study showed that growth and yield parameters vary significantly between varieties across locations. The biplot analysis showed that varieties FARO 66, SAHEL 317, and Amankwatia are the best in the major season while WITA 9, GT 11, ARS-957-BGJ-171-15-D-B, NERICA L36, and AGRA were the best in the minor season at both locations. Farmers’ preference for the varieties was based not only on growth and yield but on resistance to lodging, pests, and diseases. In conclusion, the best performing varieties have demonstrated yield potential which is about 92% higher than the yield of the local checks and can be recommended for adoption by farmers. Future breeding programs on these varieties should include the most preferred attributes by farmers in this study.

Indonesian provincial clustering using Elbow method for the national food security during pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the joints of socio-economic life, especially in fulfilling the basic needs. It also caused the declining of global food security, especially in Indonesia. This study aims to develop regional mapping to determine food security priorities and to achieve equal distribution of food security throughout Indonesia. The research method used in this research is quantitative research with the Elbow method. The Elbow method is used to find the optimal cluster size. The data used are from the Food Security Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture and Central Statistics Agency in a range of 2020 to 2021. In the process to identify priority areas in Indonesia, it is necessary to have provincial clustering. It is also necessary to minimize food budget allocations that are not well-targeted, causing losses, and not achieving an equal distribution of food security programs. Looking from a more visionary perspective, the success of clustering provides an opportunity for the government to focus more on allocating budget, resources, and time according to the results of the clustering. Based on the results of the provincial clustering, two clusters were obtained, namely provinces with high food security (Cluster 1) and low food security (Cluster 2). Cluster 1 has lower constituent components than Cluster 2.

The Impact of Climate Change on China and Brazil’s Soybean Trade

In the recent past, China has expanded its grain production to achieve high food security and increased its partial dependence on imported agricultural commodities, of which soybean supply is highly import-dependent. This study systematically reviews the past trends in China’s soybean demand, Brazil’s soybean production and export, factors contributing to the soybean trade between China and Brazil, and future uncertainty in China’s demand and Brazil’s supply under climate change. We find that recently China imported ~64% of soybean from Brazil, while ~73% of Brazil’s soybean exports were destined for China, making them key stakeholders in their international soybean trade. China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, China–Brazil trade cooperation, and diversion from trade with the USA have played a pivotal role in China’s increasing soybean imports from Brazil. China’s soybean import has brought increasing virtual land to China (from 3.57 million hectares (Mha) in 2005 to 19.63 mha in 2020). This growing virtual land import could be one of the reasons behind Brazil’s soybean harvested area, which increased from 22.95 Mha in 2005 to 37.19 Mha in 2020. In the future, climate change impacts on soybean production in Brazil can seriously affect China’s soybean imports from Brazil and its domestic food security. We analyze these effects using a climate-crop–economic modeling approach, where yield changes from the crop model are incorporated into the economic model as lower land productivity. Our results show that Brazil’s future soybean production and gross exports can drop up to 13.1% and 15.2% under the highest emissions scenario (RCP8.5). Consequently, China would face a decrease in its soybean imports from Brazil (−9.94 Mt). Due to these import reductions, China’s domestic soybean supply will be reduced (−9.94 Mt). There would also be some reduction in China’s meat supply and a drop in China’s consumer welfare. Our results can contribute to devising policies to ensure China’s food security and promote global sustainable development goals.

INDONESIA’S REGIONAL FOOD SECURITY IN LIGHT OF THE IMPENDING GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Multiple disruptions in health sectors and geopolitics has been alarming food security worldwide. This study provides insights by assessing the determinants of food security in Indonesia and creating a map of the country's most food insecure areas as a basis of developing anticipating strategies. This study is quantitative in nature using secondary data from the Statistics Indonesia. To estimate the model, we used Non-Parametric Splines Regression and Clustering Analysis. The results show that food security in Indonesia is greatly impacted by rice production, population density, purchasing power index, food expenditures, and harvested area. Additionally, most of the provinces in Indonesia has a medium to high food security level. The results showed the need for integrating Indonesian food chain policies such as land, water, and fertilizer availability. In addition, the Indonesian Bureau of Logistics must take measures to preserve the availability and distribution of staple foods.

Impact of improved hermetic storage on food insecurity and poverty of smallholder cowpea farmers in Northwestern Nigeria

Postharvest loss of cowpea grains due to insect pests like cowpea bruchids is a common problem in Nigeria and has often exacerbated the food insecurity and poverty of households. In a bid to protect their cowpea grains, farmers’ indiscriminate use of insecticides (often misused and overused) has had a negative impact on human health and the environment. Efforts to promote the use of non-chemical hermetic storage have sought to address the issue. This study, therefore, examined the impact of a chemical-free, hermetic storage method, the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags, on food insecurity and poverty of smallholder cowpea farmers in Northwestern Nigeria. Household food expenditure analysis revealed that PICS adopters had higher food security than non-adopters. Similarly, poverty analysis showed that PICS adopters had a lower poverty incidence than non-adopters. Government and development agencies should, therefore, promote the use of PICS to improve food security and reduce poverty among cowpea farmers in Nigeria.

Determinants and consequences of food insecurity in families having children under the age of 2 years.

Background: Today, food insecurity is recognized as an important public health problem that can have detrimental effects on families. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the determinants and consequences of food insecurity in families having children under the age of 2 years. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 307 mothers and their children under the age of 2 years were selected by stratified random sampling. Demographic and socioeconomic data were collected by completing questionnaires through face-to-face interview. Household food insecurity (HFI) status was determined using the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) household food security questionnaire. Results: Based on the results, 67.4% of families were high food secure. Low and very low food security was 25.7% and 6.9%, respectively. House size (Beta = -0.019, 95% CI: -0.029, -0.009), father's job (Beta = -4.758, 95% CI:-6.777, -2.738), father education (Beta = -0.370, 95% CI: -0.717, -0.023), and economic status (Beta = -0.628, 95% CI: -0.809, -0.448) were significantly related to the USDA total food insecurity score (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that children birth weight, father's body mass index (BMI), and mother's waist circumference had a significant positive correlation with weight for age (Z-score) of children. Children's birth weight, father's BMI, and HFI status had significant and positive correlation with weight for length (Z-score). Moreover, the significant association between children's birth height, mother's BMI, and mother's waist circumference with length for age (Z-score) were observed (p < 0.05). Conclusion: We found the father's job was the most effective factor in food insecurity and economic status of the family was in the second place. Also, HFI had a relationship with weight status of children under the age of 2 years.

The Association between Food Security Status and Psychological Distress and Loneliness among Full-Time Undergraduate Students at a Minority-Serving Institution.

Little is known about the relationship of food security (FS) status with mental health among students at minority-serving institutions. We aimed to elucidate the association of FS status with psychological distress and loneliness among full-time undergraduate students at a minority-serving institution. We used data from the National Collegiate Health Assessment III (n = 441). To assess FS, students responded to the USDA 6-item short form (range: 0-6) and responses were categorized as high (0), marginal (1) or low/very low (2-6) FS. The Kessler 6 scale assessed psychological distress (range: 0-24). The UCLA loneliness scale assessed loneliness (range: 3-9). Higher scores indicated higher psychological distress and loneliness. Using adjusted linear regression models, we examined the association of FS with psychological distress and loneliness. Compared to students with high FS (mean (SD): 9.4 (0.8)), students with marginal (11.4 (1.0); p < 0.05) or low/very low (11.8 (0.8); p < 0.01) FS had higher psychological distress scores. Compared to students with high FS (5.5 (0.3)), students with low/very low FS (6.0 (0.3); p < 0.05) had higher loneliness scores. Future studies should further explore these relationships using mixed methods, to provide complementary quantitative findings with the emic perspective of students and their experiences, which can inform programming to prevent and reduce food insecurity.

Reviu: Penerapan teknologi nano pada produk hasil ternak

Consumer awareness was increasing of food safety and food security along with the high population growth rate and increasing quality of life, nanotechnology was an important concern to be able to meet future demand for livestock products. The application of nanostructured particles has been widely explored to produce livestock products with high food safety and food security. Nanotechnology can also be applied to produce food with high protein without slaughtering livestock in the form of artificial meat whose process is developed in the laboratory. Nutritional quality and food quantity in the future can also be met through the application of nanotechnology. The quality and freshness of livestock products that can be maintained during the transportation process is a major concern that can be met through the application of nanostructured particles in the form of flexible packaging, laminates, and edible coatings. Nanotechnology can change the particle size from eggshell bio-waste into nanoparticles that have high added value. The application of nanotechnology has a very wide scope in livestock products.

EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON URBAN HOUSEHOLDS’ FOOD SECURITY STATUS IN Ghana: PRE AND POST LOCKDOWN ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT Achieving urban food security before and after COVID-19 lockdown among urban households’ in Ghana is key. This paper compares the pre-and post-COVID-19 lockdown food security status of urban dwellers in lockdown cities of the Greater part of Accra in Ghana using the Rasch and ordered logit model. From a sample of 340 respondents, the study found a significant difference in household food security status and predictors of food security. Prior to COVID-19 households were ‘High food secure’ (36.4%), but post-COVID-19 lockdown made more households ‘Very low food secure’ (12.35%). To combat post-COVID-19 lockdown food insecurity in urban agriculture is encouraged.

Evaluating a Food Pantry-Based Intervention to Improve Food Security, Dietary Intake, and Quality in Midwestern Food Pantries.

Voices for Food was a longitudinal community, food pantry-based intervention informed by the social ecological model, and designed to improve food security, dietary intake, and quality among clients, which was carried out in 24 rural food pantries across 6 Midwestern states. Our objective was to evaluate changes in adult food security, dietary intake, and quality from baseline (2014) to follow-up (2016), and to assess the role of adult food security on dietary outcomes. A multistate, longitudinal, quasi-experimental intervention with matched treatment and comparison design was used to evaluate treatment vs comparison group changes over time and changes in both groups over time. Adult food pantry clients (n= 617) completed a demographic food security survey, and up to three 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline (n= 590) and follow-up (n= 160). Community coaching served as the experimental component, which only "treatment" communities received, and a food council guide and food pantry toolkit were provided to both "treatment" and matched "comparison" communities. Change in adult food security status, mean usual intakes of nutrients and food groups, and Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores were the main outcome measures. Linear mixed models estimated changes in outcomes by intervention group and by adult food security status over time. Improvements in adult food security score (-0.7 ± 0.3; P= .01), Healthy Eating Index-2010 total score (4.2 ± 1.1; P &lt; .0001), and empty calories component score (3.4 ± 0.5; P &lt;.0001) from baseline to follow-up were observed in treatment and comparison groups, but no statistically significant changes were found for adult food security status, dietary quality, and usual intakes of nutrients and food groups between the 2 groups over time. The intervention effect on dietary quality and usual intake changes over time by adult food security status were also not observed. Food pantry clients in treatment and comparison groups had higher food security and dietary quality at the follow-up evaluation of the Voices for Food intervention trial compared with baseline, despite the lack of difference among the groups as a result of the experimental coaching component.

Self-Reported Vision Impairment and Food Insecurity in the US: National Health Interview Survey, 2011–2018

ABSTRACT Purpose To determine if vision impairment (VI) is associated with food insecurity among the United States (US) adults. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of US adults ≥18 years below a threshold of 150% poverty from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), years 2011–2018. Outcome measures included food insecurity status, based on response to the NHIS adult (10-item) food insecurity tool, either as a binary (food secure or insecure) or ordinal (high, marginal, low, and very low) variable. VI was defined as self-reported trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. Multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders examined associations between VI and food insecurity. Results Participants (N = 62075) were majority female (57%), White (62%), and non-Hispanic (74%). Of them, 16% reported VI and 28% were food insecure. In fully adjusted logistic regression models, adults with VI had 216% higher odds (95% CI = 2.01–2.31) of being food insecure than adults without VI. Further, there was a dose–response relationship between VI and food insecurity noted in a multinomial model: VI predicted 159% higher risk of marginal food security (95% CI = 1.44–1.75), 197% higher risk of low food security (95% CI = 1.80–2.16), and 295% higher risk of very low food security (95% CI = 2.69–3.22), as compared to high food security. Conclusion VI is associated with food insecurity, increasingly so among adults with highest levels of food insecurity in this national sample of low-income US adults. This data highlights the need for targeted interventions to address and reduce the burden of food insecurity among US adults with VI.