Predictors of households at risk for food insecurity in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To examine associations between sociodemographic and mental health characteristics with household risk for food insecurity during the COVID-19 outbreak. Design: Cross-sectional online survey analyzed using univariable tests and a multivariable logistic regression model. Setting: The United States during the week of March 30, 2020. Participants: Convenience sample of 1,965 American adults using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform. Participants reporting household food insecurity prior to the pandemic were excluded from analyses. Results: 1,250 participants reported household food security before the COVID-19 outbreak. Among this subset, 41% were identified as at risk for food insecurity after COVID-19, 55% were women and 73% were white. On multivariable analysis, race, income, relationship status, living situation, anxiety, and depression were significantly associated with incident risk for food insecurity. Black, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino respondents, respondents with annual income less than $100,000, and those living with children or others were significantly more likely to be newly at risk for food insecurity. Individuals at risk for food insecurity were 2.60 (95% CI 1.91-3.55) times more likely to screen positively for anxiety and 1.71 (95% CI 1.21-2.42) times more likely to screen positively for depression. Conclusions: Increased risk for food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic is common, and certain populations are particularly vulnerable. There are strong associations between being at risk for food insecurity and anxiety/depression. Interventions to increase access to healthful foods, especially among minority and low-income individuals, and ease the socioemotional effects of the outbreak are crucial to relieving the economic stress of this pandemic.