1. Food Insecurity in a Low-Income, Predominantly African American Cohort Following the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Author
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Rebecca L. Collins, Jonathan Cantor, Wendy M. Troxel, Gerald P. Hunter, Madhumita Ghosh Dastidar, Sameer M. Siddiqi, Tamara Dubowitz, Robin L. Beckman, Alexandra Mendoza-Graf, Alvin Kristian Nugroho, Andrea S. Richardson, and Matthew D. Baird
- Subjects
African american ,Research & Analysis ,Poverty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Pennsylvania ,Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ,United States ,Black or African American ,Food insecurity ,Food Insecurity ,Geography ,Residence Characteristics ,Risk Factors ,Pandemic ,Cohort ,Food desert ,Humans ,Longitudinal Studies ,Pandemics ,Demography - Abstract
Objectives. To examine the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on food insecurity among a predominantly African American cohort residing in low-income racially isolated neighborhoods. Methods. Residents of 2 low-income African American food desert neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were surveyed from March 23 to May 22, 2020, drawing on a longitudinal cohort (n = 605) previously followed from 2011 to 2018. We examined longitudinal trends in food insecurity from 2011 to 2020 and compared them with national trends. We also assessed use of food assistance in our sample in 2018 versus 2020. Results. From 2018 to 2020, food insecurity increased from 20.7% to 36.9% (t = 7.63; P Conclusions. Longitudinal data highlight profound inequities that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Existing policies appear inadequate to address the widening gap.
- Published
- 2021
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