RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: In Australia, an estimated 1 in 10 households experiences food insecurity. The objective of this study was to devise a visual synthesis to summarise the activities, processes and principles that support the right to food for everyone in Australia. METHODS: Semi-structured key informant interviews (n=30) were conducted during 2019-20. Content analysis synthesised perspectives and assisted co-authors in revising an initial draft (shared during the interview) to finalise the road map through semantic realist data analysis and re-design. RESULTS: The six components of the right to food road map summarise the actions, processes, and principles to address the human right to food. These include i) policy leadership, ii) advocate and enact, iii) empowerment, iv) resourcing, v) monitoring and accountability and vi) healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems. CONCLUSIONS: When all the right to food actions, processes and principles are present, the "cogs" within the map are hypothesised to interact and realise the right to food for all Australians. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Considering the cost of living pressures and unrelenting demand for food relief, better solutions are needed for food insecurity. Human rights - this language, their international recognition and as a "method of working", offer an alternative to the dominant responses to food insecurity.
RESUMEN
AIM: Food insecurity (FI) is a critical public health issue in Australia. Population-based interventions aiming to address the socio-ecological determinants of FI are critical for relieving and preventing it. This review aimed to map and summarise the characteristics of population-based interventions addressing household and/or community FI in Australia. METHODS: A systematic scoping review was undertaken. Five databases, selected for range and relevance to FI in Australia ("CINAHL plus", "Ovid MEDLINE", "Sociological Abstracts", "Australian Public Affairs Information Service", and "Rural and Remote Health") were searched in May 2018 using the terms and relevant synonyms "FI" and "interventions". In addition a systematic grey literature search using multiple Google searches was undertaken. Data synthesis included categorisation and counting intervention type. Interventions were defined and charted by influence of at least one dimension of food security and impact on the socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions. RESULTS: A total of 3565 published and grey literature records were identified, with the final 60 records describing 98 interventions. Few national interventions were identified, with approaches predominantly in Victoria, Northern Territory and Tasmania. Determinants related to living and working environments, food availability and food utilisation were most frequently addressed. Interventions addressing the key determinant of FI economic access were limited. A number of interventions did not appear to be associated with rigorous evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: While there is evidence of population responses to FI in Australia, the effectiveness of these remains limited. Importantly there is a lack of coordinated and coherent national responses that address the range of FI determinants.