Food Security Challenges and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Corner Store Communities in Washington, D.C.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the complexities of food inequity. As one of the social determinants of health, food insecurity significantly impacts overall health across the life course. Guided by the Getting to Equity Framework, this qualitative community-engaged participatory project examines the impact of the pandemic on food security among adults in Washington, DC. Semi-structured interviews (n = 79) were conducted by trained community health workers between November 2020 and December 2021 at corner stores. Data analysis was performed using thematic network analysis in NVivo. Results are grouped into four key themes: (1) impact of the pandemic on food access, including expanded services and innovative solutions to meet needs; (2) coping and asset-based strategies at the individual and community level; (3) sources of information and support, and (4) impact of the pandemic on health and well-being. The importance of lived experience research in public health is increasingly recognized as an innovative approach that offers benefits through community engagement and empowerment.

Interest in Receiving Nutrition Information Through Social Media Among Food-Security Program Participants in Washington, DC.

INTRODUCTION: Effective communication approaches are necessary to reach food-security program participants. Accessing food-security programs has been especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media can play an important role in reducing some communication barriers. We examined interest in receiving nutrition information via social media among adults participating in food-security programs in Washington, DC. METHODS: We developed and administered a 22-item survey to adults participating in food-security programs (N = 375). Participants were recruited at Martha's Table, in Washington, DC, from January through March 2020. We performed bivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regressions to examine predictors of interest in receiving nutrition information via social media. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of participants reported using social media, and 49% expressed interest in receiving nutrition information via social media. Higher levels of self-efficacy and belief in the value of digital technology were associated with greater likelihood of interest in receiving nutrition information via social media (χ2 6 = 139.0; Nagelkerke R2 = 0.35; P < .001). We found no differences by sex or digital technology access in interest in receiving nutrition information via social media. CONCLUSION: Social media is a widely used and a feasible method to reach food-security program participants. Understanding program participants' interest in receiving health information via social media may help food-security programs plan effective communication strategies to improve food security, especially when in-person participation is limited, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Evolving Role of Public Health in Medical Education.

Medical education in the twentieth century was largely influenced by the Flexner Report, with significant proportions of instruction dedicated to the molecular underpinnings of the pathologic pathways and minimal mention of the socio-ecological determinants of health. When examining the predominant diseases of the twenty first century landscape, widening health disparities, and significant changes in the United States healthcare system, it is imperative to view wellness and sickness in a broader public health context rather than a singular focus of the biomedical model. While undergraduate opportunities to study public health are on the rise in the United States, there is a parallel urgency for medical curricula to recognize the importance of the complex interrelated socio-ecological root causes of health, well-being, and illness. In order to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases and increase health equity, it is necessary for medical education to integrate core public health knowledge and competencies. Contemporary health challenges require a public health approach, in addition to clinical skills, for physicians to provide equitable care. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscores the necessity to mitigate the effects of socio-ecological determinants of health. Seven key recommendations are presented from a training to practice timeline emphasizing the important linkages between medical education, socio-ecological influences on health, and public health. As the health challenges in society and communities shift, so too must training of future physicians. There is a need and an opportunity for medicine and public health to address the shared health challenges of our global society.