The impact of holiday clubs on household food insecurity—A pilot study

Abstract

This research investigates whether holiday clubs have the potential to reduce food insecurity among households in the United Kingdom. We survey parents (n = 38) of children attending seven different holiday clubs to estimate the percentage of children in those programmes who come from food insecure households. Results suggest that 42% (16 out of 38 respondents) of children come from households defined as "food insecure" and 24% (9 out of 38 respondents) come from households that are "food insecure with hunger." When secure and insecure households are compared, we discover that food insecure households benefit the most from holiday clubs, which suggests that they may play an important role in mitigating household food insecurity. K E Y W O R D Sfood policy, food poverty, food security, holiday hunger | INTRODUCTIONHoliday hunger is a condition that occurs when a child's household is, or will, become food insecure during the school holidays (Graham et al., 2016). To combat the problem of holiday hunger, holiday clubs have emerged across the UK. These holiday clubs provide meals for children, and sometimes parents, when children are not in school.Despite the rising popularity of holiday clubs, little is known about their effectiveness. The current study presents results from a portion of a larger pilot evaluation of holiday clubs on food insecurity in the UK. In this paper, we focus on the views of parents of children who attend holiday clubs. Specifically, we ask three questions about the role of holiday clubs in attenuating household food insecurity. First, are households with children attending holiday clubs more socially and economically deprived than UK households in general? Second, are households with children attending holiday club likely to suffer from food insecurity? Third, do parents of children attending holiday club believe that the clubs reduce household food insecurity? We answer these three questions by drawing upon questionnaire data that examine the perceptions of parents whose children attend seven different holiday clubs in the UK.Information about the potential role that holiday clubs play in mitigating household food insecurity is necessary if these clubs are going to form an effort for mitigating rising food insecurity across UK households. For example, if holiday clubs do not provide food for children from food insecure households, we might ask whether resources could be better spent on other food insecurity mitigation programmes. Prior to carrying out our analysis of holiday clubs, we briefly review the literature on the definition of household food insecurity and its impact on children's health and well-being.

Food Insecurity in Advanced Capitalist Nations: A Review

“…Long et al [126] conducted the first and only study, to our knowledge, that examines whether holiday clubs reduce household food insecurity. Using data collected from five holiday clubs in Wales, one in the south of England, and one in Scotland in 2015, the authors found that, compared to parents from food secure households, parents from food insecure households were significantly more likely to agree with the following statements: (1) "without holiday club it's harder to make ends meet during the summer than during the school year"; and (2) "without the holiday club we sometimes find ourselves without enough money for food during the summer".…”

Hunger in the primary school setting: evidence, impacts and solutions according to school staff in the North East of England, UK

“…At the current time, there is no UK legislation requiring Local Authorities to provide meals to children during school holidays. This has led to recent concerns that many children, particularly those who access free school meals, could be experiencing increased food insecurity during the school holidays; an issue termed 'holiday hunger' (Long et al, 2018).…”

“…Whilst there is some existing research evidence surrounding the issue of 'holiday hunger', peer reviewed research is still quite limited (Long et al, 2018). Furthermore, no peerreviewed studies to date have sought the views of school staff to specifically investigate the issue of holiday hunger and how it might impact upon children's experiences in school.…”

Holiday Clubs as Community Organizations

“…Because holiday clubs are primarily associated with food provision, nearly all of the existing research in this area focuses on food-related outcomes and policy (Caplan 2016; Defeyter, Graham, and Prince 2015; Graham et al 2016; Lambie-Mumford and Sims 2018; Long et al 2018; Machin 2016; Purdam, Garratt, and Esmail 2016). Current studies of holiday clubs provide interesting insights into food insecurity, food poverty, and food justice, but not into general anti-poverty services that the clubs may provide.…”