TY - JOUR
T1 - Food insecure households faced greater challenges putting healthy food on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
AU - Kent, Katherine
AU - Murray, Sandra
AU - Penrose, Beth
AU - Auckland, Stuart
AU - Godrich, Stephanie
AU - Lester, Elizabeth
AU - Visentin, Denis
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/2/1
Y1 - 2022/2/1
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the Australian food supply. However, it has remained unclear how food access, food availability and consumption were impacted, especially for households experiencing food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the association between food security and cooking and eating habits, food access and availability, self-sufficiency and perceptions of the food supply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania, Australia. Throughout May–June 2020 during strict social distancing restrictions, a cross-sectional survey was conducted including the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module Six-Item Short Form, twenty Likert scale questions on cooking and eating habits, food access, self-sufficiency and perceptions of the food supply (responses from 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree), two questions on food availability and eleven socio-demographic questions. Survey data (n = 1067) were analysed using multivariate linear regression, and binary logistic regression. Food insecure households were significantly more likely to agree they were consuming less fresh food compared with food secure households (Mean difference between scale responses (MD) = 0.66; 95%CI:0.36–0.66; p < 0.001), and significantly more food insecure households agreed it was more difficult to get to the shops (MD = 0.49; 95%CI:0.34–0.64; p < 0.001) and they had less money available for food than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (MD = 0.95; 95%CI:0.79–1.10; p < 0.001). Compared to food secure households, food insecure households were at significantly greater risk of foods being unavailable to them (OR:1.75; 95%CI:1.33–2.35; p < 0.001) and were less likely to have sufficient food stored in their homes (OR:0.48; 95%CI: 0.33–0.687; p < 0.001). This study indicates there was a disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecure households, related to food availability and access, with effects on cooking and eating habits.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the Australian food supply. However, it has remained unclear how food access, food availability and consumption were impacted, especially for households experiencing food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the association between food security and cooking and eating habits, food access and availability, self-sufficiency and perceptions of the food supply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania, Australia. Throughout May–June 2020 during strict social distancing restrictions, a cross-sectional survey was conducted including the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module Six-Item Short Form, twenty Likert scale questions on cooking and eating habits, food access, self-sufficiency and perceptions of the food supply (responses from 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree), two questions on food availability and eleven socio-demographic questions. Survey data (n = 1067) were analysed using multivariate linear regression, and binary logistic regression. Food insecure households were significantly more likely to agree they were consuming less fresh food compared with food secure households (Mean difference between scale responses (MD) = 0.66; 95%CI:0.36–0.66; p < 0.001), and significantly more food insecure households agreed it was more difficult to get to the shops (MD = 0.49; 95%CI:0.34–0.64; p < 0.001) and they had less money available for food than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (MD = 0.95; 95%CI:0.79–1.10; p < 0.001). Compared to food secure households, food insecure households were at significantly greater risk of foods being unavailable to them (OR:1.75; 95%CI:1.33–2.35; p < 0.001) and were less likely to have sufficient food stored in their homes (OR:0.48; 95%CI: 0.33–0.687; p < 0.001). This study indicates there was a disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecure households, related to food availability and access, with effects on cooking and eating habits.
KW - Food insecurity
KW - Food supply
KW - Pandemic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85119911731&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105815
DO - 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105815
M3 - Article
C2 - 34813917
AN - SCOPUS:85119911731
SN - 0195-6663
VL - 169
JO - Appetite
JF - Appetite
M1 - 105815
ER -