A Multi-Site Analysis of the Prevalence of Food Security in the United States, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

  1. Meredith T. Niles
  2. Alyssa W Beavers
  3. Lauren A. Clay
  4. Marcelle M. Dougan
  5. Giselle A. Pignotti
  6. Stephanie Rogus
  7. Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos
  8. Rachel E. Schattman
  9. Rachel M. Zack
  10. Francesco Acciai
  11. Deanne Allegro
  12. Emily H. Belarmino
  13. Farryl Bertmann
  14. Erin Biehl
  15. Nick Birk
  16. Jessica Bishop-Royse
  17. Christine Bozlak
  18. Brianna Bradley
  19. Barrett P. Brenton
  20. James Buszkiewicz
  21. Brittney N. Cavaliere
  22. Young Cho
  23. Eric M. Clark
  24. Kathryn Coakley
  25. Jeanne Coffin-Schmitt
  26. Sarah M. Collier
  27. Casey Coombs
  28. Anne Dressel
  29. Adam Drewnowski
  30. Tom Evans
  31. Beth J Feingold
  32. Lauren Fiechtner
  33. Kathryn J. Fiorella
  34. Katie Funderburk
  35. Preety Gadhoke
  36. Diana Gonzales-Pacheco
  37. Amelia Greiner Safi
  38. Sen Gu
  39. Karla L. Hanson
  40. Amy Harley
  41. Kaitlyn Harper
  42. Akiko S. Hosler
  43. Alan Ismach
  44. Anna Josephson
  45. Linnea Laestadius
  46. Heidi LeBlanc
  47. Laura R. Lewis
  48. Michelle M Litton
  49. Katie S. Martin
  50. Shadai Martin
  51. Sarah Martinelli
  52. John Mazzeo
  53. Scott C. Merrill
  54. Roni Neff
  55. Esther Nguyen
  56. Punam Ohri-Vachaspati
  57. Abigail Orbe
  58. Jennifer J. Otten
  59. Sondra Parmer
  60. Salome Pemberton
  61. Zain Al Abdeen Qusair
  62. Victoria Rivkina
  63. Joelle Robinson
  64. Chelsea M. Rose
  65. Saloumeh Sadeghzadeh
  66. Brinda Sivaramakrishnan
  67. Mariana Torres Arroyo
  68. McKenna Voorhees
  69. Kathryn Yerxa
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Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected food systems including food security. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food security is important to provide support, and identify long-term impacts and needs.

Objective

Our team- the National Food Access and COVID research Team (NFACT) was formed to assess food security over different U.S. study sites throughout the pandemic, using common instruments and measurements. Here we present results from 18 study sites across 15 states and nationally over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A validated survey instrument was developed and implemented in whole or part across the sites throughout the first year of the pandemic, representing 22 separate surveys. Sampling methods for each study site were convenience, representative, or high-risk targeted. Food security was measured using the USDA six-item module. Food security prevalence was analyzed using analysis of variance by sampling method to statistically significant differences.

Results

In total, more than 27,000 people responded to the surveys. We find higher prevalence of food insecurity (low or very low food security) since the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to before the pandemic. In nearly all study sites, we find higher prevalence of food insecurity among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), households with children, and those with job disruptions. We also demonstrate lingering food insecurity, with high or increased prevalence over time in sites with repeat surveys. We find no statistically significant differences between convenience and representative surveys, but statistically higher prevalence of food insecurity among high-risk compared to convenience surveys.

Conclusions

This comprehensive multi-study site effort demonstrates higher prevalence of food insecurity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which in multiple survey sites continues throughout the first year of the pandemic. These impacts were prevalent for certain demographic groups, and most pronounced for surveys targeting high-risk populations.

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