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. 2021 Aug 30;20(1):73.
doi: 10.1186/s12937-021-00732-2.

Food insecurity among households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a study among social media users across the United States

Niyati Parekh  1   2   3 , Shahmir H Ali  4 , Joyce O'Connor  5 , Yesim Tozan  6 , Abbey M Jones  7 , Ariadna Capasso  4 , Joshua Foreman  4   8 , Ralph J DiClemente  4
Affiliations

Food insecurity among households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a study among social media users across the United States

Niyati Parekh et al. Nutr J. .

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 (AOR:1.76, 95%CI:1.09-2.80), high school or lower education (AOR:2.25, 95%CI:1.29-3.90), and low income (AOR[$30,000-$50,000]:5.87, 95%CI:3.35-10.37; AOR[< $30,000]:10.61, 95%CI:5.50-20.80) 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: COVID-19; Food insecurity; Households with children; Social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Final analytic sample derived from the total responses received during social media data collection
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Food insecurity among whole sample (n = 5,606) and households with children < 18yrs (n = 1,452) based on USDA-defined [29, 30] food security categories
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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