The Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates of Food Insecurity in Poland

Hanna Dudek and Joanna Myszkowska-Ryciak
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Hanna Dudek: Department of Econometrics and Statistics, Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Myszkowska-Ryciak: Department of Dietetics, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), 02-776 Warsaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: While food insecurity (FI) has been extensively studied in many countries, there have been few empirical contributions in Poland to date. The main objective of our research was to identify the socio-demographic factors affecting the risk of FI in Poland within 2014–2019. Moreover, we aimed to examine the effects of the family-oriented social program “Family 500+” by comparing the situation in various types of households with children a few years before and after the program was launched. The analysis was based on the set of eight-item FI indicators adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization using the Gallup World Poll nationally representative survey data. Based on our results the most vulnerable groups in the context of FI were identified. We confirmed the importance of education, gender, age, marital status, household composition, status of employment and income in preventing FI. The effectiveness of the support program in reducing FI was demonstrated as households with at least three children experienced significant improvement in the FI status during the studied years. These findings should be especially important in the context of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on FI. As FI can affect the quality and quantity of food choices it is associated with a poorer health status, which increases the risk of infection, including COVID-19, and worsens recovery prognosis. Planning an efficient response to the pandemic requires a comprehension of the increased risk of exposure experienced by people, especially those who are food insecure.

Keywords: food insecurity; households; socio-demographic determinants; socioeconomic program (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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