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Study on Food Insecurity in the United States and Australia:

Developing a comprehensive household food security tool to examine the experience of food insecurity in both countries

Funder: The Charley Eisele Family Foundation

With support from The Charley Eisele Family Foundation, researchers from the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) in Omaha, Nebraska, United States and the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia compared and contrasted the experience of food insecurity among parents of young children (ages 0-5) and pregnant women in both countries and developed a comprehensive household food security tool. Historically, food insecurity has been addressed by countries individually, with limited cross-country collaboration. This work funded by the Charley Eisele Family Foundation is groundbreaking in fostering a spirit of shared learning and disseminating “what works” to address food insecurity across the globe. It is important for researchers and practitioners alike to widen their view and collaborate across borders and sectors.

CENTER FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH IMPACT’S ROLE:

The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) partnered with researchers from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia to compare and contrast the experience of food insecurity among parents of young children (ages 0-5) and pregnant women in both countries and developed a comprehensive household food security tool.

The Need:

In both countries, there is inconsistent and inadequate assessment of hunger and related factors that low-income families experience, which hampers effective programmatic and policy responses. Food insecurity can affect all stages of the lifespan, with certain determinants impacting different groups of people. Of particular concern is the impact of food insecurity on young children, from gestation through school age (0-5 years old). Studies have documented that infants residing in food insecure households have greater odds of having poor health, being nutrient deficient, experiencing developmental challenges, and being hospitalized. In addition, living in a food insecure household during pregnancy may increase the risk of greater weight gain, disordered eating, chronic disease, and pregnancy complications.

In the U.S., an estimated 14.3 million adults and children (11.1% of the population) are food insecure.

In Australia, an estimated 3.4 million adults and children (13.5% of the population) are food insecure.

The Project:

Literature review: Identify factors associated with food insecurity among pregnant women and households with young children ages 0-6 years
Semi-structured interviews: Conducted 43 semi-structured interviews with pregnant women or households with young children ages 0-6 experiencing or at risk of food insecurity in Omaha and Melbourne
Survey tool development: Developed a comprehensive survey tool to assess unique constructs related to food insecurity among pregnant women or households with young children ages 0-6.
Cognitive interviews: Conducted nine cognitive interviews to improve the survey and tested among a pilot sample of 1,000 individuals

Findings:

Families’ that have young children (or pregnant women) reported some similarities and differences in their experience of food insecurity between the United States and Australia. Many interviewees in both countries described similar strategies to put food on their tables including utilization of federal food assistance programs and/or food pantries, budgeting and food preparation skills that help stretch their food dollar, balancing competing expenses (i.e., paying utilities vs buying food), and receiving help from family and friends. Some of the common challenges that were also highlighted include transportation to preferred food outlets, meeting specific dietary needs of their children (e.g., feeding teenagers and young children), job loss and economic duress, and managing stress and mental health. Despite the differences between the two countries, this study found the need to have comprehensive measures of food security that assess nuanced aspects among this understudied and underserved population (parents of young children, pregnant people).

Comparison: Both countries had some form of stimulus money to help families make ends meets, but support infrastructures differ

United States

Food specific federal food assistance programs (SNAP, WIC)
More developed and robust emergency food system (food banks and pantries are well funded and coordinated)
Less restrictive lockdowns allowed for easier access to food outlets, but parents struggled with challenges of managing their children’s school work at home with their own employment, while schools were shut down

Australia

General welfare programs provide financial support for low-income families.
Emergency food is handled more by grassroots organizations
More restrictive lockdowns limited food access, especially for low-income families (e.g., not traveling outside of a 5 km radius from their home means no “deal shopping” and higher food prices)

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“The Deakin team has found the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact staff to be genuinely dedicated, experienced scientists who conduct real-world impactful nutrition research – so this ‘human capital’ is deeply valuable. The project will allow both groups, and countries, to learn from one another and produce quality research relevant to high-income nations like the USA and Australia. This partnership has sparked a fruitful collaboration that we see carrying forward for years to come, continuing to develop shared learnings on food insecurity in high income countries.”

— Rebecca Lindberg, PhD, Deakin University

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