Business and Data Analytics Department, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
Department of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Nutrients. 2022 Jun 18;14(12):2531. doi: 10.3390/nu14122531.
This study sought to describe racial disparities in food insecurity, food pantry use, and barriers to and experiences with food pantries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 2928 adults in Massachusetts regarding food access in the year before and during the first year of the pandemic. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models assessed racial differences in barriers to and experiences with pantry use during the pandemic. Black and Latino adults experienced the highest prevalence of food insecurity and pantry use. Additionally, Black and Latino adults reported more barriers to, but less stigma around, pantry use compared to White adults. Latino adults were less likely to know about pantry hours/locations and encounter staff who spoke their language. Black and Latino adults were also more likely to find pantry hours/locations inconvenient and have difficulty with transportation. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased food insecurity, and food access inequities persisted. Programmatic policies to improve pantry access in communities of color could include increasing the hours/days that pantries are open, increasing bilingual staff, providing transportation or delivery, and creating multilingual public awareness campaigns on how to locate pantries.
本研究旨在描述 COVID-19 大流行第一年期间，在食物不安全、使用食品储藏室以及使用食品储藏室的障碍和经验方面存在的种族差异。我们调查了马萨诸塞州的 2928 名成年人，了解他们在大流行前一年和第一年的食物获取情况。加权多变量逻辑回归模型评估了大流行期间使用食品储藏室的障碍和经验方面的种族差异。黑人和拉丁裔成年人的食物不安全和使用食品储藏室的比例最高。此外，与白人成年人相比，黑人和拉丁裔成年人报告使用食品储藏室的障碍更多，但对其污名化程度更低。拉丁裔成年人不太可能了解食品储藏室的开放时间/地点，也不太可能遇到会说他们语言的工作人员。黑人和拉丁裔成年人也更有可能觉得食品储藏室的开放时间/地点不方便，并且在交通方面存在困难。COVID-19 大流行导致食物不安全状况加剧，食物获取方面的不平等现象持续存在。为改善有色人种社区食品储藏室的获取而制定的方案政策可以包括延长食品储藏室的开放时间/天数、增加会说双语的工作人员、提供交通或送货服务，以及开展多语种的公众宣传活动，介绍如何找到食品储藏室。
