SNAP Participants and High Levels of Food Insecurity in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately strained households experiencing poverty, particularly Black and Latino households. Food insecurity, which entails having limited or uncertain access to a sufficient quantity of nutritious food, is a key pandemic-related consequence. We examined how people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have been affected by the pandemic, particularly Black participants and participants residing in food deserts. Methods Using survey data from a longitudinal cohort study of predominantly Black low-income adults aged ≥18 residing in urban food deserts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we examined changes in food insecurity and SNAP participation before COVID-19 (2018) and early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March–May 2020). We modeled changes in food insecurity from 2018 to 2020 via covariate-adjusted logistic regression. Results Food insecurity increased significantly among participants enrolled in SNAP and surveyed in both 2018 and 2020 (from 25.9% in 2018 to 46.9% in 2020; P < .001). Compared with cohort participants not enrolled in SNAP at both points, cohort participants enrolled in SNAP in 2018 and 2020 had the highest rates of using a food bank in 2020 (44.4%) and being newly food insecure in 2020 (28.9%) (ie, they were food insecure in 2020 but not in 2018). Conclusions Food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic increased among low-income Black households enrolled in SNAP and residing in a food desert. Public health recovery efforts might focus on modifying SNAP to improve the food security of people experiencing poverty.

Experiences of increased food insecurity, economic and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-enrolled food pantry clients

“…(6,7) Studies focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on populations who were food insecure before the pandemic have mixed findings. Siddiqi, et al found that food insecurity increased significantly among participants enrolled in SNAP before and after the pandemic, (8) whereas Molitor et al reported that new federal benefits available in response to COVID-19 may have reduced very low food security among low-income households before and shortly after the economic downturn from the pandemic. (9) Feng, et al indicated that racial/ethnic disparities in food insecurity among African American and Hispanic/Latinx populations were exacerbated by the pandemic, (10) whereas Dubowitz, et al concluded that disparities had not worsened, but rather barriers differed among racial/ethnic groups.…”

Food insecurity is adversely associated with psychological distress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Food insecurity, limited or uncertain access to sufficient, nutritious food for an active, healthy life, has increased in the United States (U.S.) during the COVID-19 pandemic due to severe economic disruption. ( Wolfson and Leung, Dec 2020 , The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in, 2020 ) Food insecurity continues to disproportionately impact lower-income households during the pandemic, ( Dubowitz et al, 2021 , Siddiqi et al, 2021 ) and is associated with numerous adverse short- and long-term outcomes including poorer mental health. ( Jones, Aug 2017 , Leung et al, Mar 2015 , Weinberger et al, Jun 2018 , Martin et al, Mar 2016 ) During the COVID-19 pandemic, existing race/ethnic and socio-economic-based health disparities have been exacerbated including those associated with food insecurity.…”

Staying “One Step Ahead of a Racist”: Expanding Understandings of the Experiences of the Covid-19 Pandemic Among People From Minoritized Ethnic Groups Living in Britain

“…Perhaps as a consequence of being largely unencumbered by the socioeconomic stresses identified as disproportionately affecting those in minoritized ethnic groups ( Barnes and Hamilton, 2020 ; Siddiqi et al, 2021 ), all interview participants described positively the ways in which pandemic lockdown had offered them opportunities for personal and/or social growth. This uninterrupted time enabled people to develop new or reinvigorate old hobbies and “take stock” of and “re-evaluate” their lives.…”

“…For example, in the United Kingdom, people in Black, Asian (and “other white”) groups reported poorer mental health and an increased sense of worry following the first pandemic lockdown 1 ( Barnes and Hamilton, 2020 ). Research from the US has also indicated higher risk of food scarcity as a consequence of the pandemic among marginalised ethnic groups which is likely to be replicated in the United Kingdom ( Siddiqi et al, 2021 ).…”