Food Insufficiency among Job-Loss Households during the Pandemic: The Role of Food Assistance Programs

Yingru Li (), Dapeng Li () and Christian King
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Yingru Li: Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Dapeng Li: Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Christian King: School of Global Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: During the early stages of the pandemic, many households experienced a loss of employment income, which worsened food insecurity and food insufficiency across the United States. This study aimed to examine whether food assistance programs (FAPs) significantly alleviated food insufficiency (FI) among job-loss households during the pandemic. The analysis was conducted with nationally representative survey data ( n = 229,668 ) collected across 50 states and D.C. in 2020. Spatial analysis and logistic regression were applied to analyze the patterns of FI and to assess the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), FAPs for children, and community FAPs. Approximately 18.6% of participants faced FI, 41% of whom experienced FI for the first time. SNAP significantly lowered the odds of being food insufficient by 24.5% among households who were already food insufficient before the pandemic and by 11.9% for households with children. FAPs for children slightly reduced FI among households with children, but those who participated in these programs still had higher prevalence of food insufficiency than those who did not. Community FAPs were not effective. The findings suggest increasing the benefit level of SNAP for households with lowest income, strengthening their partnership with community FAPs, and distributing more emergent assistance to the most vulnerable households.

Keywords: food insufficiency; job loss; food assistance program; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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