Addressing Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Academic Research Group's Response to a Major Social...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Nutrition Security

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity, particularly in underserved communities.
• Existing food assistance programs faced challenges in meeting rapidly increasing needs.
• Parents in underserved schools reported significant barriers to accessing food assistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a novel food assistance intervention for families facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a two-level food assistance intervention.
• To evaluate the role of community-based researchers in addressing participants' emerging needs.

Main Methods:

• A novel food security needs assessment tool with validated instruments was used.
• A quasi-experimental design with baseline as control was employed for evaluation.
• The intervention included a resource information sheet and direct home food deliveries.

Main Results:

• Out of 190 participating parents, 46.0% reported food insecurity and 41.0% faced access barriers.
• 17.9% of families qualified for and received home food deliveries.
• Post-intervention, 72.4% of high-needs families found deliveries highly beneficial, and 29.6% reported no remaining barriers (p<.005).

Conclusions:

• The novel food security research tool and two-level food assistance intervention were feasible to implement.
• The intervention effectively addressed food insecurity and reduced access barriers for high-needs families.
• Community-based researchers play a vital role in supporting participants' emergent needs during crises.