Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Food Pantry Use and Barriers in Massachusetts during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study sought to describe racial disparities in food insecurity, food pantry use, and barriers to and experiences with food pantries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 2928 adults in Massachusetts regarding food access in the year before and during the first year of the pandemic. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models assessed racial differences in barriers to and experiences with pantry use during the pandemic. Black and Latino adults experienced the highest prevalence of food insecurity and pantry use. Additionally, Black and Latino adults reported more barriers to, but less stigma around, pantry use compared to White adults. Latino adults were less likely to know about pantry hours/locations and encounter staff who spoke their language. Black and Latino adults were also more likely to find pantry hours/locations inconvenient and have difficulty with transportation. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased food insecurity, and food access inequities persisted. Programmatic policies to improve pantry access in communities of color could include increasing the hours/days that pantries are open, increasing bilingual staff, providing transportation or delivery, and creating multilingual public awareness campaigns on how to locate pantries.

Food security status in seniors over their life course

“…Additionally, attempting to increase financial security with part-time employment became prohibitive for attending food pantries with limited distribution hours. These barriers highlight the potential need to evaluate program designs and reform to include practices such as extended hours and food delivery (Marriott et al 2022). Health challenges could also pose barriers to receiving adequate assistance, particularly when food options at distribution sites do not account for health-related dietary restrictions, like Robert's throat cancer or even more common cases of diabetes.…”

Food insecurity and the role of food assistance programs in supporting diet quality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts

“…In particular, participants with lower incomes were oversampled to provide greater statistical power for comparisons among this group, including users and non-users of pantries ( 22 ). Additional details on study design are also published elsewhere ( 22 , 23 ). We excluded respondents whose surveys did not pass a data quality check for inconsistent or illogical answers ( Figure 1 , n = 202).…”

Food Insecurity, Neighborhood Food Environment, and Health Disparities: State of the Science, Research Gaps and Opportunities

“…Consistent evidence indicates that individuals and households that are socially vulnerable, specifically those experiencing poverty, material hardship, unemployment, and racial discrimination, are at greater risk of food insecurity [ [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] ]. Although workshop speakers acknowledged the important role of individual and household drivers, a key theme was the importance of moving beyond the individual- and household-level factors to include understanding multilevel determinants such as neighborhood conditions and city/state, national, and federal policies.…”