Insufficient Answer During the Public Health Emergency: A Lesson from the Persistence of Food Insecurity in Low-Income Communities

ABSTRACT

Cohort study in deprived communities to investigate the persistence of food insecurity (FI) during the COVID-19 was conducted. Sample were derived from a list of mobile phone numbers provided by community leaders and local nonprofit organizations. Temporal trends and prevalence ratios of FI persistence, categorized as “never,” “occasional FI,” “consistent FI,” were calculated. A total of 302 households completed three assessments, the majority nonwhite women. During the follow-up, families covered by social assistance increased; however, their income decreased (p < 0.05). 33% were “consistent,” and 46% “occasional” FI. Permanent difficulties accessing gas canisters, hygiene products, and hand sanitizers were observed.

KEYWORDS:

• Cohort studies
• food insecurity
• pandemics
• poverty

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to nursing students Vitória Ferreira Condé, Giovanna Superbi, Anni Lei, Maria Carolina Rocha Roswell, and Bruna Perroni Cogo, who kindly contributed to the phone interviews. We thank members from the Observatory “De Olho na Quebrada,” Reginaldo José Gonçalves and Aluízio Marino, and Vila São José community leader Luiz Alberto F. Alves for phone numbers and support to conduct our study in the community.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for CVZ, NAG scholarships and financial code 001.