Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spotlight on Latinx Communities

ABSTRACT

Purpose/Objectives: Food insecurity has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which creates additional disproportionate hardship on vulnerable communities such as refugees and immigrants. Preliminary data support the existence of this disparity on a local level. Workers with service-related jobs have been shown to be at increased risk of FI due to the pandemic. Further, immigrants in the United States are disproportionately represented in food service and domestic household services, with Latinx population especially impacted by the pandemic's economic and health effects such as job loss and disease rates. This survey aims to better understand FI during the pandemic among refugee and immigrant populations in Southwest Virginia. This local area as a resettlement area for many Latinx immigrants can provide insights into causes of FI in the setting of the pandemic and rising unemployment. This information helps identify areas of additional disproportionate effects due to COVID-19 on these populations. The primary objective was to measure the degree of FI and determine relevant causes and their consistency with national COVID-19 impacts. Design/Methods: A 10-question survey was administered to 132 households with assistance of a language interpreter. The Hunger Vital Sign questionnaire, a validated tool, was used to screen for FI. The remainder of the survey collected deidentified demographics, along with household size, including number of children, and potential causes of FI. Results: 86.2% of households reported having at least one child at home. 46.8% of households with children screened positive for FI, with reported causes shown in Figure 1. 50.9% of respondents were of Latin American origin (Figure 2). Of those, 56.7% were food insecure with 76.3% of the FI also reporting job loss/unemployment as a cause. 10.6% of total respondents were asylum-seekers reached by a sponsor, with 87.5% being of Latinx origin and having at least one child at home. 100% of asylum-seekers responded as food insecure and 100% of those listed job loss/unemployment as a cause. Conclusion/Discussion: Immigrants and refugees are facing FI at significantly higher levels than national rates on the local level. The Latinx population has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic contributing to food health disparities. Households with children are facing FI with job loss/unemployment as a leading cause. Moreover, the rate of attribution to job loss is higher within the Latinx community than immigrants overall. Children who experience FI are more likely to have poorer health outcomes affecting mental health and growth and development. A deeper understanding of the effects of COVID-19 on employment in the Latinx population is crucial for a critical understanding of food health disparities and health outcomes in children.