Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
J Urban Health. 2011 Apr;88(2):284-96. doi: 10.1007/s11524-010-9535-4.
Household food insecurity is a pervasive problem in North America with serious health consequences. While affordable housing has been cited as a potential policy approach to improve food insecurity, the relationship between conventional notions of housing affordability and household food security is not well understood. Furthermore, the influence of housing subsidies, a key policy intervention aimed at improving housing affordability in Western countries, on food insecurity is unclear. We undertook a cross-sectional survey of 473 families in market rental (n = 222) and subsidized (n = 251) housing in high-poverty urban neighborhoods to examine the influence of housing circumstances on household food security. Food insecurity, evident among two thirds of families, was inversely associated with income and after-shelter income. Food insecurity prevalence did not differ between families in market and subsidized housing, but families in subsidized housing had lower odds of food insecurity than those on a waiting list for such housing. Market families with housing costs that consumed more than 30% of their income had increased odds of food insecurity. Rent arrears were also positively associated with food insecurity. Compromises in housing quality were evident, perhaps reflecting the impact of financial constraints on multiple basic needs as well as conscious efforts to contain housing costs to free up resources for food and other needs. Our findings raise questions about current housing affordability norms and highlight the need for a review of housing interventions to ensure that they enable families to maintain adequate housing and obtain their other basic needs.
家庭食物不安全是北美的一个普遍问题，会产生严重的健康后果。虽然负担得起的住房被认为是改善食物不安全的一种潜在政策方法，但传统住房负担能力概念与家庭食物安全之间的关系并不清楚。此外，住房补贴的影响（旨在提高西方国家住房负担能力的关键政策干预措施）对食物不安全的影响也不清楚。我们对高贫困城市社区的 473 个家庭（市场租赁家庭 222 个，补贴住房家庭 251 个）进行了横断面调查，以研究住房情况对家庭食物安全的影响。三分之二的家庭存在食物不安全问题，该问题与收入和住房补贴后收入呈负相关。市场住房和补贴住房家庭之间的食物不安全患病率没有差异，但有补贴住房的家庭食物不安全的几率低于等待这种住房的家庭。住房成本占收入 30%以上的市场家庭食物不安全的几率增加。拖欠租金也与食物不安全呈正相关。住房质量的妥协是显而易见的，这也许反映了财政限制对多种基本需求的影响，以及为了腾出资源购买食物和满足其他需求而有意识地控制住房成本的做法。我们的研究结果引发了对当前住房负担能力规范的质疑，并强调需要审查住房干预措施，以确保这些措施使家庭能够维持适当的住房并满足其他基本需求。
