Food Insecurity is Associated with Reducing Fruit and Vegetable Intake During COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Past research examining times of crisis has suggested that limited social and economic resources may lead to disparities, which can have serious ramifications for food security and lasting effects on child nutrition. To date, it is unknown how changes related to COVID-19 may influence child dietary outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations.Methods: Families (n¼33) completed 3, 24-hour dietary recalls and validated questionnaires to assess food security and child diet quality (HEI). Measures were conducted Winter 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and Fall 2020 (during COVID-19). Families were predominantly Hispanic (83.6%), married (78.8%), welleducated (76.1%) and some had children diagnosed with ADHD (44%).Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and t-tests were analyzed using SPSS V26.0. Results were considered significant at p<0.05.Results: Approximately 27% of families experienced some level of food insecurity during the pandemic. In food secure households, the mean HEI was reduced from 60.48 (SD¼12.27) in 2019 to 54.10 (SD¼10.74) in 2020. In food insecure households, the mean HEI was reduced from 62.13 (SD¼14.28) to 61.38 (SD¼7.15). However, differences between food secure and insecure households were not significant. Overall, child HEI scores were significantly reduced during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (t¼2.58,p¼0.015). Children significantly increased sodium consumption (t¼2.12,p¼0.041) and marginally increased saturated fat consumption (t¼1.92,p¼0.063). Conclusion:Overall, child diet quality was reduced during the pandemic, especially for food secure children. More research is needed to see the longterm effects of the pandemic on child dietary quality.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Consumption Behavior: Based on the Perspective of Accounting Data of Chinese Food Enterprises and Economic Theory

“…Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected consumers’ consumption habits and food purchasing behavior [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 51 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 ]. Lockdowns, social distancing, business closures, and people’s insecurity have led to a sharp decline in economic activity [ 4 , 5 ], affecting household income and expenditures [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…In the early stages of the epidemic, people’s food consumption may have declined due to factors such as being unable to work or reduced incomes [ 20 , 21 ], using more savings for medical care [ 22 ], and being impacted by fear [ 23 ]. These changes are not only reflected in the quantity but also in the quality and type of food consumed—consuming cheaper alternatives [ 24 ], reducing the consumption of fruits [ 25 , 26 ], reducing animal-derived foods such as meat and poultry [ 26 ], and using more shelf-stable packaged foods [ 27 ]. Similarly, during a pandemic, consumers’ dietary patterns and food sources may also change.…”