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

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.

COVID‐19 pandemic, farming households' food and nutrition security, and response strategies in Ghana, West Africa

“…A negative and significant relationship was established between household size and coping strategies, indicating that households with more members found it more challenging to adopt consumption coping strategies to enable them to respond to the COVID‐19 disruptions in their livelihood activities. This is contrary to the findings of Angeles‐Agdeppa et al (2022). A negative and significant relationship was established between the age of the household head and their coping strategies.…”

“…This resulted in increased food and nutrition insecurity for households engaged full‐time in farming. This finding is similar to the work of Angeles‐Agdeppa et al (2022).…”

“…Their insufficient food intake resulted in increased food insecurity and hunger. These results are similar to the findings of Angeles‐Agdeppa et al (2022) in the Philippines. Moreover, the food insecurity access scale results illustrate that only 18.2% of farming households surveyed were food secure.…”

Household food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated socioeconomic demographic factors in Papua New Guinea: evidence from the Comprehensive Health and Epidemiological Surveillance System

“…The household food insecurity in PNG during the COVID-19 pandemic was less severe than in other LMICs. In the Philippines, 60% of households reported experiencing moderate and severe food shortage and the poorest households were 1.7 times more likely to become food insecure, and 22% of the households reported no money to buy food 31. In India, household food insecurity increased from 20% before the COVID-19 outbreak to 80% during the pandemic and 62% of the households changed their food status from security to insecurity 32.…”

Caring in crisis: The experiences of local religious leaders meeting community food needs in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the Philippines, where over 90% of the population identifies as religious (predominantly Catholic, in addition to Protestant and Muslim), local religious leaders have played a crucial role in providing stability, instilling hope, and meeting local needs during the pandemic ( Calleja, 2020 ; Corpuz, 2021 ; del Castillo et al., 2020 ; Guadalquiver, 2021 ; Philippine Statistics Authority, 2019 ). In particular, due to President Rodrigo Duterte's implementation of nationwide community quarantines which were considered to be one of the longest and strictest lockdowns worldwide, food insecurity became a critical problem in the country, especially for individuals already experiencing extreme poverty prior to the pandemic ( Angeles-Agdeppa et al., 2022 ; Hapal, 2021 ; Ong et al., 2020 ; Philippine Department of Agriculture, 2020 ; Republic of the Philippines Official Gazette, 2020a ). Religious leaders responded to address the food crisis across the country by mobilizing food and other resources to provide for individuals in need ( Dodd et al., 2023 ; Calleja, 2020 ; del Castillo et al., 2020 ; Hilario, 2020 ).…”