Employment and Food During Coronavirus

Key Findings 1. 45% of respondents with jobs experienced some type of job disruption or loss. 19.7% had a reduction in hours or income, 9.3% had been furloughed, and 15.5% had lost their job since the coronavirus outbreak. 2. 38.5% of respondents experiencing job loss or disruption since the outbreak were classified as food insecure. 3. Respondents experiencing job disruption or loss were significantly more likely to be already implementing food purchasing or eating changes and concerned about food access compared to those who did not experience a change in employment. 4. Respondents with job disruption or loss were significantly more likely to need higher amounts of money per week to help meet their basic needs if they could no longer afford food ($100 with a reduction in hours/income,$107 furloughed, $158 with job loss, compared to$82 with no job impact)

Food Access and Security During Coronavirus: A Vermont Study

Key Findings 1. Respondents reported a 33% increase in food insecurity since the coronavirus outbreak began in Vermont (from 18% to 24%). 2. 45% of respondents with jobs experienced a job disruption or loss. 3. Respondents said the most helpful actions for meeting their food needs would be increased trust in the safety of going to stores and more food in stores. 4. Respondents worried most about food becoming unaffordable and running out of food if they were unable to go out. 5. Vermonters are using a variety of strategies to adapt: a majority of respondents are at least somewhat likely to buy foods that don\u27t go bad quickly (90%); buy different, cheaper foods (69%); and stretch the food they have by eating less (52%)

The Impact of Coronavirus on Vermonters Experiencing Food Insecurity

Key Findings 1. Respondents experiencing food insecurity were more likely to be people of color, female, live in households with children, and live in larger households. 2. 84.2% of respondents who experienced food insecurity at some point in the year before the coronavirus pandemic remained food insecure during the early days of the outbreak. 3. The majority of respondents experiencing food insecurity are not utilizing food assistance programs. 4. ⅔ of respondents experiencing food insecurity are already buying different, cheaper foods or eating less to make their food last. 5. ⅔ of respondents experiencing food insecurity with a job had job disruption or loss since the coronavirus outbreak. 6. Vermonters are helping each other – there was a reported doubling in the percentage of people receiving their food via delivery from other people

Why we publish where we do: Faculty publishing values and their relationship to review, promotion and tenure expectations

Using an online survey of academics at 55 randomly selected institutions across the US and Canada, we explore priorities for publishing decisions and their perceived importance within review, promotion, and tenure (RPT). We find that respondents most value journal readership, while they believe their peers most value prestige and related metrics such as impact factor when submitting their work for publication. Respondents indicated that total number of publications, number of publications per year, and journal name recognition were the most valued factors in RPT. Older and tenured respondents (most likely to serve on RPT committees) were less likely to value journal prestige and metrics for publishing, while untenured respondents were more likely to value these factors. These results suggest disconnects between what academics value versus what they think their peers value, and between the importance of journal prestige and metrics for tenured versus untenured faculty in publishing and RPT perceptions

Food Access Through School Meals and Food Pantries During COVID-19: Early Findings from Vermont

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people worldwide, disrupting food access, and security. To understand how food systems and security are impacted during this pandemic, an online survey was launched in Vermont from March 29 - April 12, 2020 (less than a week after the “Stay Home/Stay Safe” order). A total of 3,219 Vermonters responded with 182 providing a written answer specifically about food pantries and 828 of the respondents providing written comments to the open-ended question at the end of the survey. This brief summarizes survey findings and respondent comments about experiences with two programs during the early weeks of the pandemic: the National School Lunch Program (school meals) and food pantries. Key findings include: 1. Households that participated in school meals were significantly more likely to worry that their household would lose access to programs for food and that food will become more expensive. 2. Rural food pantry use (5.5%) was significantly higher than urban pantry use (3.7%) after COVID-19, albeit with low participation overall. 3. Respondents who participated in food pantry programs were significantly more worried about food access as it related to the COVID-19 outbreak

Early COVID-19 Impacts on Food Retail and Restaurants: Consumer Perspectives from Vermont

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people worldwide, disrupting food access and security. To understand how food systems and security are impacted during this pandemic, an online survey was launched in Vermont from March 29th - April 12th, 2020 (less than a week after the Governor’s Stay Home/Stay Safe order). A total of 3,219 Vermonters responded, and nearly half provided written remarks in response to open-ended questions about worries or general comments. This brief summarizes survey findings and respondent comments about food retail and restaurants. We use quantitative data to understand the frequency of beliefs and behaviors, and qualitative data to understand respondents’ experiences and perspectives in their own words. Of note, the findings reflect early responses to and concerns with food-related risk; as more information was provided by experts, these fears may have been allayed. This will be investigated in future iterations of the survey. Key findings include: Key Findings Security of the Food Supply The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people worldwide, disrupting food access and security. To understand how food systems and security are impacted during this pandemic, an online survey was launched in Vermont from March 29th - April 12th, 2020 (less than a week after the Governor’s Stay Home/Stay Safe order). A total of 3,219 Vermonters responded, and nearly half provided written remarks in response to open-ended questions about worries or general comments. This brief summarizes survey findings and respondent comments about food retail and restaurants. We use quantitative data to understand the frequency of beliefs and behaviors, and qualitative data 1. Respondents worried about the risk of contracting COVID-19 through the food system and emphasized the importance of protecting worker health. 2. 87% of respondents usually or always reduced grocery trips in the early weeks of the pandemic in order to avoid exposure. 3. There was high demand for stores to support social distancing and reduce opportunities for disease transmission, as well as provide guidance around safe food acquisition. 4. Poor access to food delivery was a challenge, especially among those in rural areas and using public benefits to buy food. 5. Respondents were interested in supporting local restaurants, but were concerned about safety. 6. 88% of respondents felt that more trust in stores would be helpful and 65% reported that more trust in food delivery would be helpful

The early food insecurity impacts of covid‐19

COVID‐19 has disrupted food access and impacted food insecurity, which is associated with numerous adverse individual and public health outcomes. To assess these challenges and understand their impact on food security, we conducted a statewide population‐level survey using a convenience sample in Vermont from March 29 to April 12, 2020, during the beginning of a statewide stay‐at‐home order. We utilized the United States Department of Agriculture six‐item validated food security module to measure food insecurity before COVID‐19 and since COVID‐19. We assessed food insecurity prevalence and reported food access challenges, coping strategies, and perceived helpful interventions among food secure, consistently food insecure (pre‐and post‐ COVID‐19), and newly food insecure (post COVID‐19) respondents. Among 3219 respondents, there was nearly a one‐third increase (32.3%) in household food insecurity since COVID‐19 (p \u3c 0.001), with 35.5% of food insecure households classified as newly food insecure. Respondents experiencing a job loss were at higher odds of experiencing food insecurity (OR 3.06; 95% CI, 2.114– 0.46). We report multiple physical and economic barriers, as well as concerns related to food access during COVID‐19. Respondents experiencing household food insecurity had higher odds of facing access challenges and utilizing coping strategies, including two‐thirds of households eating less since COVID‐19 (p \u3c 0.001). Significant differences in coping strategies were documented between respondents in newly food insecure vs. consistently insecure households. These findings have important potential impacts on individual health, including mental health and malnutrition, as well as on future healthcare costs. We suggest proactive strategies to address food insecurity during this crisis

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Food System: Early findings from Vermont

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people worldwide, disrupting food access and security. To understand how food systems and security are impacted during this pandemic, an online survey was launched in Vermont from March 29th - April 12th, 2020 (less than a week after the Governor’s Stay Home/Stay Safe order). A total of 3,219 Vermonters responded, and nearly half provided written comments in response to open-ended questions about worries or general remarks. This brief summarizes survey findings and respondent comments relevant to the local food system, specifically local farms and direct-to-consumer sales, home food production, foraging, hunting, and fishing. Other aspects of the local food system, such as processing and distribution are not covered. Key findings include: 1. 69% of respondents purchased some food directly from farmers in the year prior to the pandemic, but only 15% did in the early weeks of the pandemic (though these represent different timeframes). 2. Respondents described economic, health, and safety benefits of local food production, and expressed worries about local farm viability during and after the pandemic. 3. 53% of respondents produced, foraged, hunted, or canned some of their own food in the year prior to the pandemic and 31% were engaged in these activities in the first month of the pandemic; more reported plans to grow some of their own food if they could access supplies. 4. People who purchased from local farms and/or engaged in home production were more likely to be food secure

Use of the journal impact factor in academic review, promotion, and tenure evaluations

We analyzed how often and in what ways the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is currently used in review, promotion, and tenure (RPT) documents of a representative sample of universities from the United States and Canada. 40% of research-intensive institutions and 18% of master’s institutions mentioned the JIF, or closely related terms. Of the institutions that mentioned the JIF, 87% supported its use in at least one of their RPT documents, 13% expressed caution about its use, and none heavily criticized it or prohibited its use. Furthermore, 63% of institutions that mentioned the JIF associated the metric with quality, 40% with impact, importance, or significance, and 20% with prestige, reputation, or status. We conclude that use of the JIF is encouraged in RPT evaluations, especially at research-intensive universities, and that there is work to be done to avoid the potential misuse of metrics like the JIF

How significant are the public dimensions of faculty work in review, promotion and tenure documents?

Much of the work done by faculty at both public and private universities has significant public dimensions: it is often paid for by public funds; it is often aimed at serving the public good; and it is often subject to public evaluation. To understand how the public dimensions of faculty work are valued, we analyzed review, promotion, and tenure documents from a representative sample of 129 universities in the US and Canada. Terms and concepts related to public and community are mentioned in a large portion of documents, but mostly in ways that relate to service, which is an undervalued aspect of academic careers. Moreover, the documents make significant mention of traditional research outputs and citation-based metrics: however, such outputs and metrics reward faculty work targeted to academics, and often disregard the public dimensions. Institutions that seek to embody their public mission could therefore work towards changing how faculty work is assessed and incentivized