The contributions of civil society to food security in the context of COVID-19: a qualitative exploration in Uruguay.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore and analyse the actions implemented by civil society to contribute to food security in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak in Uruguay, a high-income country in South America. DESIGN: An exploratory systematic approach was used to identify the contributions of civil society to food security through reports in news websites and Facebook posts. Data were analysed based on content analysis following a deductive-inductive approach. SETTING: Uruguay, Latin America. RESULTS: A total of 1220 civil society organisations were identified, which developed two main actions to increase access to food among the Uruguayan population: food baskets and 'community pots' (also known as 'common pots'). Most of the initiatives targeted citizens under socioeconomic vulnerability in the face of COVID-19, without specifying any specific requirement or population segment. Actions were mainly led by spontaneously organised community groups, and, to a lesser extent, by consolidated organisations. Interactions between organisations were identified. The foods provided by the organisations were mostly aligned with national dietary guidelines. Social media posts evidenced that the main challenge faced by organisations was related to the lack of funds or supplies. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this work suggest that the lack of funds or supplies poses challenges to the medium- and long-term contributions of civil society to food security and stresses the need for comprehensive governmental measures to guarantee food security amongst Uruguayan citizens.

Is COVID-19 a threat or an opportunity for healthy eating? An exploration of the factors that moderate the impact of the pandemic on eating habits in Uruguay.

In May 2020, Uruguay was one of the few Latin American countries that had managed to control the outbreak of COVID-19 without mandatory curfews or quarantines. However, several social distancing measures created a major disruption in different aspects of the daily life of Uruguayan citizens. In this context, the objectives of the present work were i) to identify changes in eating habits perceived by Uruguayan citizens as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ii) to explore factors associated with different perceived changes on eating habits. A cross-sectional online study was conducted with 891 participants, recruited using an advertisement on Facebook and Instagram. Fifty-one percent of the participants indicated that their eating habits had changed since the detection of the first cases of COVID-19 in Uruguay. Large heterogeneity in the categorization of the changes existed: 45% of the participants regarded the changes as positive, 32% as negative and 23% as neither positive nor negative. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to study the influence of explanatory variables in the likelihood of belonging to groups who reported different changes in eating habits (no changes, positive, negative, or neither positive nor negative changes). Household income and reliance on instrumental and emotional support increased the likelihood of reporting positive changes in eating habits, whereas negative changes were associated with a reduction in household income due to COVID-19 and the coping strategies self-distraction and self-blaming. Insights for policy making to reinforce positive effects and minimize threats to healthy eating are discussed.