What are the determinants of food insecurity in New Zealand and does this differ for males and females?

Abstract

Aims: Food insecurity is a lack of assured access to sufficient nutritious food. We aimed to investigate the demographic and socio‐economic determinants of food insecurity in New Zealand and whether these determinants vary between males and females. Methods: We used data from the longitudinal Survey of Families, Income and Employment (SoFIE) (n=18,950). Respondents were classified as food insecure if, in the past 12 months, they had to use special food grants or food banks, been forced to buy cheaper food to pay for other things, or had to go without fresh fruit and vegetables often. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of demographic and socio‐economic factors on food insecurity. Models were repeated stratifying by males and females. Results: More than 15% of the SoFIE population in NZ were food insecure in 2004/05. The prevalence of food insecurity was much greater in females (19%) than males (12%). The adjusted odds of food insecurity was significantly higher in females compared to males (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.5–1.8). In univariate analyses, food insecurity was associated with sole parenthood, unmarried status, younger age groups, Māori and Pacific ethnicity, worse self‐rated health status, renting, being unemployed and lower socioeconomic status. Income was the strongest predictor of food insecurity in multivariate modelling (OR 4.9, 95%CI 4.0–5.9 for lowest household income quintile versus highest). The associations of demographic and socioeconomic factors with food insecurity were similar in males and females. Conclusions: Food insecurity is a timely and relevant issue, as it affects a significant number of New Zealanders. Targeted policy interventions aimed at increasing money available in households are needed.

Rising food security concerns among New Zealand adolescents and association with health and wellbeing

“…Food insecurity among New Zealand households with children is even greater, with 20% reporting that they could not always afford to 'eat properly' (Ministry of Health 2003) in 2002 Food insecurity is an indicator of socio-economic distress and hardship ), but not all families experiencing economic hardship are food insecure, and vice versa. In New Zealand, more than 10% of adults who are employed (14%), have achieved university-level degrees (11%), and own their own homes (11%) experience food insecurity (Carter et al 2010). Food insecurity is also unique in that it poses a distinct stress on families and affects the quality and quantity of foods that families consume (Drewnowski and Specter 2004;Utter et al 2012).…”

Providing additional money to food-insecure households and its effect on food expenditure: a randomized controlled trial

“…Food insecurity is associated with poorer nutritional outcomes (2)(3)(4)(5) , and in New Zealand (NZ) and other developed countries it is more likely to be experienced by low socio-economic groups. In NZ there is emphasis on the need to consider methods of improving food security (6,7) . Changes to the tax levels for some foods (e.g.…”

Determinants of food availability and access in Ghana: what can we learn beyond the regression results?

“…The positive relationship between real per capita GDP and food supply suffi ciency suggests that the substitution effect associated with rising real per capita GDP is outweighed by the larger production scale effect associated with real per capita GDP. The positive link between real per capita GDP and food availability (food security) is shown by Carter et al (2010), Herath et al (2014) and Tadese et al (2014). The impact of domestic prices on food availability is negative.…”

“…The relative importance of demand-side and supply-side factors have been argued by Feleke et al (2005) who found that the latter are more powerful determinants of food security than the former. Counter arguments in favour of demandside variables have also been documented (Kargbo, 2000;Carter et al, 2010;Herath et al, 2014;Tadese et al, 2014).…”

“…Lastly, rising national income implies higher domestic demand which conditioned on domestic supply can cause food prices to increase, making accessibility diffi cult if not impossible. Kargbo (2000), Carter et al (2010), Herath et al (2014) and Tadese et al (2014) fi nd that rising gross domestic product (GDP) affects food security positively. Also, where rising GDP causes behavioural change among consumers, such as switching to the consumption of non-food products, demand for food will decrease, and this will be outweighed by supply.…”