Food insecurity and disasters: predicting disparities in total and first-time food pantry visits during the COVID-19 pandemic

Alexandria J. Drake (), Lora A. Phillips (), Brajesh Karna (), Shakthi Bharathi Murugesan (), Lily K. Villa () and Nathan A. Smith ()
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Alexandria J. Drake: Arizona State University
Lora A. Phillips: Arizona State University
Brajesh Karna: Arizona State University
Shakthi Bharathi Murugesan: Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc
Lily K. Villa: Arizona State University
Nathan A. Smith: Phoenix Rescue Mission

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2023, vol. 15, issue 2, No 13, 493-504

Abstract: Abstract In the U.S. state of Arizona, nearly one-third of households experienced food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase from one-fourth of households before the pandemic. Previous research on food insecurity in the wake of natural and human-instigated disasters demonstrates that groups vulnerable to food insecurity before a disaster are more susceptible to food insecurity during and after that disaster; however, less is known about whether this relationship also holds true during health-related disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced urban food insecurity patterns by analyzing the socio-demographic characteristics of food pantry clients in Maricopa County, Arizona. Using data from Phoenix Rescue Mission (PRM), a local non-profit food service provider, two binomial logistic regression models compare the socio-demographic composition of total and first-time food pantry users before and during the pandemic. In addition to an overall increase in food pantry usage during the pandemic, we find that, while certain socio-demographic groups historically vulnerable to food insecurity experienced the predicted uptick in insecurity during the pandemic, other socio-demographic disparities were attenuated. These somewhat disparate findings illustrate the complex relationship between disasters and food insecurity in an urban context, offering several avenues for future research.

Keywords: Urban Food Insecurity; Disasters; COVID-19; Arizona; Maricopa County; Food Deserts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s12571-022-01336-2

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