Factors Associated with Continued Food Insecurity among Households Recovering from Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

In 2010, 14.5% of US households experienced food insecurity, which adversely impacts health. Some groups are at increased risk for food insecurity, such as female-headed households, and those same groups are often also at increased risk for disaster exposure and the negative consequences that come with exposure. Little research has been done on food insecurity post-disaster. The present study investigates long-term food insecurity among households heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina. A sample of 683 households participating in the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study were examined using a generalized estimation model to determine protective and risk factors for food insecurity during long-term recovery. Higher income (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.84, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.77, 0.91), having a partner (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.89, 0.97), or “other” race were found to be protective against food insecurity over a five-year period following disaster exposure. Low social support (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.08, 1.20), poor physical health (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03, 1.13) or mental health (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.09, 1.18), and female sex (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01, 1.10) were risk factors. Policies and programs that increase access to food supplies among high-risk groups are needed to reduce the negative health impacts of disasters.

Factors Associated with Food Insecurity Following Hurricane Harvey in Texas

“…In addition to "other" race, after adjusting for individual, household, and social factors, black and Hispanic race/ethnicity were also risk factors for food insecurity following Harvey. Another notable finding of the Katrina cohort study is that housing stability, measured by number of moves since Hurricane Katrina and number of years to achieving stable housing, was not associated with food security outcomes [34,35]. This study, of a different disaster event, in a different geographic context, and with a different sampling frame, departs from that finding but aligns with the food security literature indicating housing instability is a risk factor for food insecurity.…”

“…Past research examining a cohort of displaced households following Hurricane Katrina found that higher income, having a partner, and high social support were protective, while "other" race (not white, Black, or Hispanic), poor mental health, poor physical health, and female sex were risk factors for food insecurity [34,35]. The present analysis, examining a different sample (a quota-based sample of households from 41 Texas counties eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance following Hurricane Harvey), found similar risk and protective factors while accounting for displacement.…”

“…The SF-12 has been used to measures mental and physical health worldwide in studies of a broad range of health outcomes [79]. It has been widely used in disaster studies to measure physical and mental health [34,[80][81][82][83]. The mental health (MCS) and physical health (PCS) component scores are norm-based and were computed by transforming linear scores to achieve a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 in the US general population with QualityMetric scoring software (Optum, Johnston, RI, USA) [84,85].…”

“…The systematic review found that less than one percent of disaster research focuses on food [32], supporting our literature review finding of only three studies that directly address food insecurity outcomes following disasters in the US. These three studies indicate that food insecurity prevalence is higher than state level prevalence among households impacted by disasters and that disasters such as hurricanes have widespread impacts on the local food environment from production to consumption [33][34][35][36]. These studies also demonstrate that food security is a post-disaster challenge for affected individuals and households and warrants additional investigation to understand the risk and protective factors for food security outcomes so that public health and emergency management programs and policies can more effectively mitigate adverse health outcomes of disasters.…”

“…From an ecological perspective, the health outcome of food insecurity is influenced by factors from across the socioecological model. Individual level factors such as physical and mental health have been associated with food insecurity [34]; a person's race and ethnicity, income, and partnership can also influence such issues [14,[43][44][45][46]. At the household or social level, housing stability, social support, coping, and family decision making under financial constraint influence food security [47][48][49].…”