Family Food Insecurity, Food Acquisition, and Eating Behavior Over 6 Months Into the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior Vol. 54; no. 7; pp. 660 - 669
• Main Authors: Hollis-Hansen, Kelseanna, Ferrante, Mackenzie J., Goldsmith, Juliana, Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2022; Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc
• Subjects: Child; children; COVID-19; COVID-19 infection; Cross-Sectional Studies; employment; family eating behaviors; Feeding Behavior; food acquisition; Food Insecurity; food preparation; food retailing; food security; Food Supply; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Meals; nutrition education; Pandemics; Research Brief; restaurants; sociodemographic characteristics; unemployment; COVID-19; family eating behaviors; food insecurity; food acquisition
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1878-2620
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2022.04.002

Describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related employment and food acquisition changes for food-secure and food-insecure households. Examine associations between food insecurity, parent food acquisition, and child eating. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey with parents (N = 1,000) in Fall 2020. Measures included sociodemographics, food retail regulations, food insecurity, frequency of meals, changes in parent employment, food preparation, and food acquisition because of COVID-19. Parents that reported recent food insecurity were more likely to report COVID-19-related employment changes (eg, job loss, reduced hours) and food acquisition changes. Food insecurity was modestly associated with more frequent in-person restaurant dining (B = 0.12, t(999) = 4.02, P < 0.001), more frequent restaurant delivery (B = 0.13, t(999) = 4.30, P < 0.001), less frequent homecooked meals (B = −0.14, t(999) = 4.56, P < 0.001) but was not associated with take-out (B = 0.02, t(999) = 0.62, P = 0.54). Food insecurity was associated with employment changes, parent food acquisition, and children's consumption of homecooked and restaurant meals during COVID-19. Future work could explore resources that help parents acquire affordable, nutritious food.