Food Insecurity in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence and Associated Sociodemographic Characteristics

The current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has been having a considerable impact not only on health but also on the economy of societies, emphasizing food insecurity as a significant public health concern.

The objective of this study was to characterize the scenario of food insecurity in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore its related sociodemographic characteristics.

This is a cross-sectional study, using data from an online survey, performed from November 2020 until February 2021, including 882 residents aged 18 years or older in Portugal. Data on sociodemographics and food security status were collected, the latter was evaluated using the United States Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form. Crude and adjusted logistic regression models were performed (covariates: education, household income perception, and the working status during the COVID-19 pandemic). The odds ratio (OR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated.

Most participants were women (71.3%), with a mean age of 36.8 years (SD 11.0). Food insecurity prevalence was 6.8%. Less-educated individuals (≤12 years of schooling; OR 2.966; 95% CI 1.250-7.042), and those who were and remained unemployed since the beginning of the pandemic (OR 2.602; 95% CI 1.004-6.742) had higher odds of belonging to a food-insecure household, regardless of education, working status during the COVID-19 pandemic, and household income perception. Moreover, lower odds of belonging to a food-insecure household were observed among those reporting a comfortable household income (OR 0.007; 95% CI 0.001-0.062) than those who perceived their household income as insufficient, independently of education and the working status during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These findings highlight the population groups that are at a greater risk of food insecurity during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Effective public health strategies should be developed aiming to address food insecurity during this crisis, especially among the higher risk groups.