Predictors of household food insecurity in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveTo examine associations between sociodemographic and mental health characteristics with household food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. DesignCross-sectional online survey analyzed using univariable tests and a multivariable logistic regression model. SettingThe United States during the week of March 30, 2020. ParticipantsConvenience sample of 1,965 American adults using Amazons Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform. Participants reporting household food insecurity prior to the pandemic were excluded from analyses. Results1,517 participants reported household food security before the COVID-19 outbreak. Among this subset, 30% reported food insecurity after the COVID-19 outbreak, 53% were women and 72% were white. On multivariable analysis, race, income, relationship status, anxiety, and depression were significantly associated with incident household food insecurity. Black respondents, Hispanic/Latino respondents, and respondents with annual income less than $100,000 were significantly more likely to experience incident household food insecurity. Individuals experiencing incident household food insecurity were 2.09 (95% CI 1.58-2.83) times more likely to screen positively for anxiety and 1.88 (95% CI 1.37-2.52) times more likely to screen positively for depression. ConclusionsFood insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic is common, and certain populations are particularly vulnerable. There are strong associations between food insecurity and anxiety/depression. Public health interventions to increase the accessibility of healthful foods, especially for Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, are crucial to relieving the economic stress of this pandemic.