Beavers, Alyssa W

Litton, Michelle M

English

Digital Commons@Wayne State University

Wayne State University Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications Nutrition and Food Science Summer 8-1-2020 Michigan Food Insecurity, Food Access, and Food Worries During the COVID-19 Pandemic Alyssa W. Beavers Wayne State University, beavers.alyssa@wayne.edu Michelle M. Litton Wayne State University, gs6226@wayne.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/nfsfrp  Part of the Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, and the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons Recommended Citation A. W. Beavers & M. M. Litton. August 2020. Michigan Food Insecurity, Food Access, and Food Worries During the COVID-19 Pandemic. National Food Access and COVID Research Team. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nutrition and Food Science at DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. 0 10 20 30 40 50Employment Disruption No Emp. Disruption 0 10 20 30 40 50Households with children Households w/out children The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has hadprofound impacts on virtually all aspects of dailylife, including employment, food purchasing, andfood insecurity.  Food insecurity exists whenhouseholds cannot afford enough food or cannotafford a balanced diet.  It is estimated that foodinsecurity in the U.S. has doubled since the start ofthe COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to the increasein unemployment.   To examine the impacts ofCOVID-19 on food security, food access, and food-related worries among Michigan adults (age 18+) weconducted an online survey between June 17 to June29 using paid Facebook advertisements.  Datapresented here is from 484 responses.1. Food insecurity for respondents withemployment disruption was 43%,double that of respondents   with noemployment disruption (21%).2. Food insecurity for respondents withchildren in the household was 46%,compared with 28% for householdswithout children.3. Food insecure respondents hadhigher food-related worries and morechallenges accessing food.58% of respondents indicated they had disruption toemployment (job loss, furlough, and/or reducedwork hours) since the COVID-19 pandemic.  Theirrate of food insecurity was double: 43% ofrespondents who had employment disruption werefood insecure compared with 21% for those who didnot experience employment disruption.Michigan Food Insecurity, Food Access,and Food Worries During the COVID-19Pandemic Alyssa W. Beavers, PhD, RDMichelle M. Litton, MS, RD Department of Nutrition and Food ScienceWayne State UniversityIntroductionKey FindingsFood Insecurity Rate is Double for Thosewith Employment DisruptionFigure 1. Percent of respondents with and without employmentdisruption who experienced food insecurity in the last 30 daysFigure 2. Percent of respondents with and without children in thehousehold who experienced food insecurity in the last 30 daysAugust 20201Percent Experiencing Food InsecurityHigher Food Insecurity for Respondents withChildren in HouseholdPercent Experiencing Food InsecurityFood insecurity was substantially higher forrespondents with children in the household (46%reporting food insecurity) compared to householdswithout children (28% reporting food insecurity)."With limited money while waiting forunemployment, we were eatingwhatever was left in the pantry andfreezer.  Fruits and vegetables werejust not a high priority- Survey respondent"I worry that the P-EBT assistance isgoing to come to an end when I need itthe most."- Survey respondentFood insecure Food secureFood insecure Food secureRespondents experiencing food insecurity weremore worried about food (Figure 3).  This includedconcerns about the country's food supply, beingable to afford food, and food becomingcontaminated.Food Insecure Respondents Use aVariety of Strategies to Afford FoodFood insecure respondents also had morechallenges accessing food (Figure 4).  This includednot being able to find enough food or the types offood their family wanted, and having to stand tooclose to other people while food shopping.Food Insecure Respondents Are MoreWorried about Food August 20202Michigan Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 PandemicFood Insecure Respondents Have MoreChallenges Accessing FoodFigure 4. Percent of respondents who indicated they "usually" or"every time" experienced challenges accessing food, by foodsecurity statusFigure 3. Average score for food-related worries on a scale of1=not at all worried to 6=very worried, by food security statusFood will becomeunsafe/contaminated My household will have adecrease in incomeMy household will lose accessto programs for foodMy household won't have enough food if we can't go out  Food will become more expensive for my householdFood insecure Food secureAccept food from friends or familyBorrow money from friends or familyBuy different, cheaper foodsBuy food on creditBuy foods that don’t go bad quicklyFood from a food pantry/soup kitchenStretch food by eating lessRely more onhunting or fishing Rely more ongrowing my foodRely more on foraging Respondents experiencing food insecurity used anaverage of 3.7 strategies to afford food, comparedwith an average of 1.5 for respondents without foodinsecurity.  These strategies are found in Figure 5.There will not be enough food in thestoreThe country will not have enough foodHad to stand too close to otherpeople when getting foodHad to go more places than usual to find food my family wanted Had challenges knowing where to find help for finding foodCould not find the types of foods my household prefers to eatCould not find as much food as I wanted to buyFigure 5. Percent of respondents who indicated they usestrategies to afford food, by food security statusThe National Food Access and COVID Research Team(NFACT) is a national collaboration of researcherscommitted to rigorous, comparative, and timely foodaccess research during the time of COVID.  We do thisthrough collaborative, open access research thatprioritizes communication to key decision-makerswhile building our scientific understanding of foodsystem behaviors and policies.  To learn more visitnfactresearch.org.About NFACTCompared to the state of Michigan, surveyrespondents were somewhat lower income (52% hadhousehold income <$50,000, compared with 44% forMichigan), less racially diverse (90% of respondentswere white, compared with 78% for Michigan), andmostly female (96%, compared with 51% for Michigan).Respondent Demographics"I chose to garden this year. Food isdefinitely more expensive and going to thegrocery store is a stressful experience." - Survey respondent

Michigan Food Insecurity, Food Access, and Food Worries During the COVID-19 Pandemic

https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=nfsfrp

Michigan Food Insecurity, Food Access, and Food Worries During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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