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. 2022 Jun;43(2):213-231.
doi: 10.1177/03795721221078363. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Security and Access to Social Protection Programs in the Philippines: Findings From a Telephone Rapid Nutrition Assessment Survey

Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa  1 , Charina A Javier  1 , Charmaine A Duante  1 , Ma Lynell V Maniego  1
Affiliations

Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Security and Access to Social Protection Programs in the Philippines: Findings From a Telephone Rapid Nutrition Assessment Survey

Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa et al. Food Nutr Bull. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

This study assessed the status and factors that affected the food security of Filipino households and their access to social protection programs and coping mechanisms during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines. A rapid nutrition assessment survey through telephone interview was conducted on November 3 to December 3, 2020, among households covered in the 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) to compare the status of household food security before and during the pandemic. A total of 9 provinces and highly urbanized areas were selected as study sites based on risk to COVID-19 infection categorized as low, medium, and high. A total of 5717 households with contact numbers participated in the study. Results showed that almost two-thirds (62.1%) of the households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity when strict community quarantines started. The increase in the proportion of moderate to severe food insecurity was higher in the low- and medium-risk areas of COVID-19 infection than in high-risk areas (P < .05). The poorest households were 1.7 times more likely to become moderate to severely food insecure compared to middle-income households. No money to buy food (22.1%) was the top concern of food-insecure households. Purchasing food on credit, borrowing food from family, and loans from relatives and friends are the top coping strategies of food-insecure households. The results imply the need to extend assistance equitably to households and areas with fewer resources and minimal or no benefactors.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; coping strategies; food access; food security.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity based on FIES among households in low-, medium-, and high-risk areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. *Significant at P < .001. FIES indicates Food Insecurity Experience Scale.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Prevalence of food insecurity experiences by month during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 based on FIES. ECQ indicates enhanced community quarantine; MECQ, modified enhanced community quarantine; GCQ, general community quarantine; MGCQ, modified general community quarantine. FIES indicates Food Insecurity Experience Scale.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Proportion of households with pregnant and 0- to 5-year-old children who experienced moderate to severe food insecurity based on FIES during the pandemic. *Significant at P < .05. FIES indicates Food Insecurity Experience Scale.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Most common problems encountered by households in accessing food during community quarantine from March to November 2020. *Multiple response.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Proportion of households by assistance program received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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