As a public health major in KNH with a minor in global health, I wanted to research the impact of COVID-19 on food-insecure households. I was interested in better understanding how vulnerable populations have been impacted by food insecurity due to the pandemic. Therefore, my research question was: How has COVID-19 impacted households who were living with food insecurity pre-pandemic? This question is relevant to public and global health because it examines the intersection of COVID-19 and food insecurity from the perspective of both disciplines. This question also recognizes how some populations are more disproportionately affected by both COVID-19 and food insecurity than others. A literature review was conducted by exploring current research in government and non-profit websites for specific data on food insecurity and unemployment rates before and during the pandemic. The Miami University library database was a helpful tool in finding peer-reviewed, scholarly articles discussing the impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity. Some major findings from my research shows that unemployment and food insecurity rates have increased significantly compared to pre-pandemic. Vulnerable populations (low socioeconomic status, families with children, single-parent families, people living alone, and people of racial or ethnic minority) were more likely to be food-insecure pre-pandemic. These vulnerable populations are experiencing much higher rates of unemployment, food insecurity, and COVID-19 compared to the general public during the pandemic. They are also experiencing a “cycle of burden” due to the pandemic that is likely to persist even when the pandemic is considered to be “over”. It’s important to give extra support to the most vulnerable even after the pandemic ends. This research has been relevant to my future career path in public health because it has helped me to identify program/intervention needs for vulnerable populations during health crises such as COVID-19.
Author: Carly Luebbers
Faculty Advisors: Beth Miller, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health; Paul Flaspohler, Psychology
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