Food insecurity among households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a study among social media users across the United States.
Nutr J
; 20(1): 73, 2021 08 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1379791
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In the United States, approximately 11% of households were food insecure prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aims to describe the prevalence of food insecurity among adults and households with children living in the United States during the pandemic.METHODS:
This study utilized social media as a recruitment platform to administer an original online survey on demographics and COVID-related food insecurity. The survey was disseminated through an advertisement campaign on Facebook and affiliated platforms. Food insecurity was assessed with a validated six-item United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Survey Module, which was used to create a six-point numerical food security score, where a higher score indicates lower food security. Individual-level participant demographic information was also collected. Logistic regressions (low/very-low compared with high/marginal food security) were performed to generate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95%CIs for food insecurity and select demographic characteristics.RESULTS:
Advertisements reached 250,701 individuals and resulted in 5,606 complete surveys. Overall, 14.7% of participants self-identified as having low or very low food security in their households, with higher prevalence (17.5%) among households with children. Unemployment (AOR1.76, 95%CI1.09-2.80), high school or lower education (AOR2.25, 95%CI1.29-3.90), and low income (AOR[$30,000-$50,000]5.87, 95%CI3.35-10.37; AOR[< $30,000]10.61, 95%CI5.50-20.80) were associated with higher odds of food insecurity in multivariable models among households with children (and the whole sample).CONCLUSIONS:
These data indicate exacerbation of food insecurity during the pandemic. The study will be instrumental in guiding additional research and time-sensitive interventions targeted towards vulnerable food insecure subgroups.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Social Media
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Nutr J
Journal subject:
Nutritional Sciences
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12937-021-00732-2
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