Food Insecurity and Health-Related Concerns Among Elementary Schoolteachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction US school systems underwent major upheaval, including closures, implementation of virtual and/or hybrid learning, and stringent infection mitigation protocols, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to examine the association between food insecurity and perceived health, perceived stress, and social determinants of health concerns among elementary schoolteachers serving predominantly low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that weekly distributes fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education materials to more than 300 schools serving racial and ethnic minority populations with low income, conducts annual surveys of participating teachers to help determine subsequent efforts to support schools and families during the school year. We analyzed self-reported data collected electronically by the Brighter Bites teachers survey in 76 elementary schools during summer 2020. We used generalized linear mixed models to measure the association between food insecurity and health-related concerns. Results Of 862 teachers who responded to the survey, 685 answered the 2 questions about food insecurity status; of these, 199 (29.1%) reported experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity was positively associated with poor perceived general health, greater perceived stress, concerns about various social determinants of health, and changes in fruit and vegetable consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Our study demonstrated the high prevalence of food insecurity and highlights its associated factors among elementary schoolteachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It calls attention to the high correlation of various concerns among elementary schoolteachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further intervention and policy efforts are needed to relieve food insecurity–related concerns and enhance well-being among teachers.

Impacts of Covid‐19 School Closures on School Food Service Revenue: Analysis of Public Local Education Agencies in Maryland

“…Following the onset of the Covid‐19 pandemic in March of 2020, with the wide‐spread closures of schools and businesses, the number of households who sometimes or often did not have adequate food to eat increased 3‐fold compared with before the pandemic and 2‐fold compared with the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 5 . While school meals have typically been a reliable source of food for children from food insecure households, the Covid‐19‐related school closures put an additional strain on low‐income families to obtain food for their children 6‐8 . This highlights the importance of providing free school meals for vulnerable children, particularly because many households previously above the poverty line were thrown into poverty by job loss and businesses closing during the pandemic 9,10 …”

“…5 While school meals have typically been a reliable source of food for children from food insecure households, the Covid-19-related school closures put an additional strain on low-income families to obtain food for their children. [6][7][8] This highlights the importance of providing free school meals for vulnerable children, particularly because many households previously above the poverty line were thrown into poverty by job loss and businesses closing during the pandemic. 9,10 In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the US federal government signed into law the CARES Act on March 27, 2020.…”