Rural Household Food Insecurity among Latino Immigrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

U.S. food insecurity rates rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with disproportionate impacts on Latino immigrant households. We conducted a qualitative study to investigate how household food environments of rural Latino immigrants were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-one respondents (42% from low food security households) completed interviews (July 2020–April 2021) across four rural counties in California. A rural household food security conceptual framework was used to analyze the data. Early in the pandemic, food availability was impacted by school closures and the increased consumption of meals/snacks at home; food access was impacted by reduced incomes. Barriers to access included limited transportation, excess distance, and lack of convenience. Key resources for mitigating food insecurity were the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT), school meals, charitable food programs, and social capital, although the adequacy and acceptability of charitable food distributions were noted issues. Respondents expressed concern about legal status, stigma, and the public charge rule when discussing barriers to government nutrition assistance programs. They reported that food pantries and P-EBT had fewer access barriers. Positive coping strategies included health-promoting food substitutions and the reduced consumption of meals outside the home. Results can inform the development of policy and systems interventions to decrease food insecurity and nutrition-related health disparities among rural Latino immigrants.

Food Insecurity among International Migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

“…( Table 2 ). Thirty-five studies mainly or totally used the term “food insecurity” [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ], six used “food security” [ 25 , 30 , 32 , 63 , 64 , 65 ], and five used both [ 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ].…”

“…Among the 46 studies included in this scoping review [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ], half of them were conducted in America [ 28 , 29 , 31 , 33 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 <...…”

“…Eight papers included exclusively African migrants (from Ghana, Zambia, Congo, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, and other African countries that were not specified) [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 32 , 40 , 45 , 65 , 66 ]. Eleven studies focused exclusively on Latin American migrants (from El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras, Puerto Rico, and other countries in Central and South America) [ 28 , 31 , 33 , 42 , 47 , 48 , 54 , 61 , 63 , 69 , 70 ], and two studies included migrants from Oceania (Republic of the Marshall Islands) [ 43 , 49 ]. Ten studies did not specify the region of origin of the migrant population [ 30 , 37 , 46 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 56 , 58 , 59 ].…”

“…Food (in)security was included in all papers, as it was a condition for inclusion. However, among the thirty-seven papers containing original research, food (in)security was the main focus in ten studies [ 39 , 42 , 50 , 51 , 56 , 58 , 62 , 66 , 68 , 69 ], another ten studies focused on migrants’ health and wellbeing [ 34 , 35 , 41 , 53 , 54 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 61 , 65 ], and the impact of COVID-19 on living conditions was the focus in eleven studies [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 46 , 48 , 49 , 55 , 60 , 63 , 64 , 67 ]. Two studies focused on education during the pandemic [ 43 , 52 ], and in one study, the primary outcome was the knowledge and information gathered about COVID-19 [ 40 ].…”

The Association between Food Insecurity and Making Hunger-Coping Trade-Offs during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Sources of Food and Easiness in Food Access

“…As such, food insecurity is both a cause and a symptom of other household challenges, including financial duress, housing insecurity, and increased health care costs. These challenges have especially intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, as for many families, income streams were diminished, food sources were altered, health care challenges increased, and housing arrangements shifted to accommodate precautions necessitated by the pandemic [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. To cope with these myriad challenges, individuals often engage in a variety of coping strategies.…”