A Warm Meal and a Bed: Intersections of Housing and Food Security in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

Miewald, Christiana; Ostry, Aleck

doi:10.1080/02673037.2014.920769

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Food insecurity is associated with a range of physical and mental health issues which contribute significantly to healthcare costs, for example cardiovascular disease [15] and obesity [16]. There is a clear relationship between housing instability, food insecurity and access to health care amongst low income families [17]. Reducing food insecurity would see improvements in health, employment, productivity, and economic viability, and reductions in health care costs.…”

Section: The Framing Of the Issue Determines The Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity and Hunger in Rich Countries—It Is Time for Action against Inequality

Pollard

Booth

2019

IJERPH

191

111

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Household food insecurity is a serious public health concern in rich countries with developed economies closely associated with inequality. The prevalence of household food insecurity is relatively high in some developed countries, ranging from 8 to 20% of the population. Human rights approaches have the potential to address the structural causes, not just the symptoms of food insecurity. Despite most developed countries ratifying the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights over 40 years ago, food insecurity rates suggest current social protections are inadequate. The contemporary framing of the solution to food insecurity in developed countries is that of diverting food waste to the hungry to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals agenda (Goals 2 and 12.3). An estimated 60 million people or 7.2% of the population in high income countries used food banks in 2013. Although providing food assistance to those who are hungry is an important strategy, the current focus distracts attention away from the ineffectiveness of government policies in addressing the social determinants of food insecurity. Much of the action needed to improve household food security falls to actors outside the health sector. There is evidence of promising actions to address the social determinants of food insecurity in some developed countries. Learning from these, there is a strong case for government leadership, for action within and across government, and effective engagement with other sectors to deliver a coordinated, collaborative, and cooperative response to finding pathways out of food insecurity.

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Section: The Framing Of the Issue Determines The Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity and Hunger in Rich Countries—It Is Time for Action against Inequality

Pollard

Booth

2019

IJERPH

191

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Food insecurity can also lead to thiamine and iron deficiency and contribute to problems like apathy, anxiety, irritability, and depression [55]. Research also shows that 1 in 5 people with mental illness, including depression, report problems with finding adequate food [56]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequent food insecurity among injection drug users: correlates and concerns

et al. 2012

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BackgroundFood insecurity and nutrition are two topics that are under-researched among injection drug users (IDUs). Our study examined the extent and correlates of food insecurity among a sample of IDUs and explored whether there is an association between food insecurity and injection-related HIV risk.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data were collected at a needle exchange program in London, Ontario, Canada between September 2006 and January 2007. Participants included 144 English-speaking IDUs who had injected drugs in the past 30 days. Participants were asked about their socio-demographic characteristics, HIV risk behaviours, food insecurity, and health/social service use.ResultsIn the past 6 months, 54.5% of participants reported that on a daily/weekly basis they did not have enough to eat because of a lack of money, while 22.1% reported this type of food insecurity on a monthly basis. Moreover, 60.4% and 24.3% reported that they did not eat the quality or quantity of food they wanted on a daily/weekly or a monthly basis, respectively. Participants reported re-using someone else’s injection equipment: 21% re-used a needle, 19% re-used water, and 37.3% re-used a cooker. The odds of sharing injection equipment were increased for food insecure individuals.ConclusionsFindings show that IDUs have frequent and variable experiences of food insecurity and these experiences are strongly correlated with sharing of injection-related equipment. Such behaviours may increase the likelihood of HIV and HCV transmission in this population. Addressing food-related needs among IDUs is urgently needed.

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“…Our principles included attending to the women's contexts, including their social, economic, cultural, and historical contexts. Thus, given our research on Indigenous women's experiences of intimate partner violence (Varcoe & Dick, , 2008) and “leaving” abusive relationships (Smye et al, ), and the known limits to women's options living in the community (Benoit, Carroll, & Chaudhry, ; Culhane, ; McNeil, Shannon, Shaver, Kerr, & Small, ; Miewald & Ostry, ; Peters & Anderson, ; Robertson & Culhane, ), we decided to not restrict eligibility to women who had recently left an abusive partner as we had done in prior feasibility studies.…”

Section: Revision Of Interventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reclaiming Our Spirits: Development and Pilot Testing of a Health Promotion Intervention for Indigenous Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence

Varcoe

Browne

Ford‐Gilboe

et al. 2017

Research in Nursing & Health

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Indigenous women are subjected to high rates of multiple forms of violence, including intimate partner violence (IPV), in the context of ongoing colonization and neo-colonization. Health promotion interventions for women who experience violence have not been tailored specifically for Indigenous women. Reclaiming Our Spirits (ROS) is a health promotion intervention designed for Indigenous women living in an urban context in Canada. In this paper, we describe the development of the intervention, results of a pilot study, and the revised subsequent intervention. Building on a theory-based health promotion intervention (iHEAL) showing promising results in feasibility studies, ROS was developed using a series of related approaches including (a) guidance from Indigenous women with research expertise specific to IPV and Indigenous women's experiences; (b) articulation of an Indigenous lens, including using Cree (one of the largest Indigenous language groups in North America) concepts to identify key aspects; and (c) interviews with Elders (n ¼ 10) living in the study setting. Offered over 6-8 months, ROS consists of a Circle, led by an Indigenous Elder, and 1:1 visits with a Registered Nurse, focused on six areas for health promotion derived from previous research. Pilot testing with Indigenous women (n ¼ 21) produced signs of improvement in most measures of health from pre-to post-intervention. Women found the pilot intervention acceptable and helpful but also offered valuable suggestions for improvement. A revised intervention, with greater structure within the Circle and nurses with stronger knowledge of Indigenous women's experience and community health, is currently undergoing testing. ß

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A Warm Meal and a Bed: Intersections of Housing and Food Security in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

Cited by 20 publications

References 60 publications

Food Insecurity and Hunger in Rich Countries—It Is Time for Action against Inequality

Food Insecurity and Hunger in Rich Countries—It Is Time for Action against Inequality

Frequent food insecurity among injection drug users: correlates and concerns

Reclaiming Our Spirits: Development and Pilot Testing of a Health Promotion Intervention for Indigenous Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence

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