Dataset Information

Ecological risk and protective factors for food insufficiency in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic increased food insufficiency: a severe form of food insecurity. Drawing on an ecological framework, we aimed to understand factors that contributed to changes in food insufficiency from April to December 2020, in a large urban population hard hit by the pandemic.

Design

We conducted internet surveys every 2 weeks in April-December 2020, including a subset of items from the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Longitudinal analysis identified predictors of food insufficiency, using fixed effects models.

Setting

Los Angeles County, which has a diverse population of 10 million residents.

Participants

A representative sample of 1535 adults in Los Angeles County who are participants in the Understanding Coronavirus in America tracking survey.

Results

Rates of food insufficiency spiked in the first year of the pandemic, especially among participants living in poverty, in middle adulthood and with larger households. Government food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was significantly associated with reduced food insufficiency over time, while other forms of assistance such as help from family and friends or stimulus funds were not.

Conclusions

The findings highlight that during a crisis, there is value in rapidly monitoring food insufficiency and investing in government food benefits.

SUBMITTER: de la Haye K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10564600 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Ecological risk and protective factors for food insufficiency in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

de la Haye Kayla K Saw Htay-Wah HW Miller Sydney S Bruine de Bruin Wändi W Wilson John P JP Weber Kate K Frazzini Alison A Livings Michelle M Babboni Marianna M Kapteyn Arie A

Public health nutrition 20230705 10

<h4>Objective</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic increased food insufficiency: a severe form of food insecurity. Drawing on an ecological framework, we aimed to understand factors that contributed to changes in food insufficiency from April to December 2020, in a large urban population hard hit by the pandemic.<h4>Design</h4>We conducted internet surveys every 2 weeks in April-December 2020, including a subset of items from the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Longitudinal analysis identified predictors ...[more]

PMID: 37403467

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Project description:ImportanceDescribing the changes in trauma volume and injury patterns during the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could help to inform policy development and hospital resource planning.ObjectiveTo examine trends in trauma admissions throughout Los Angeles County (LAC) during the pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsIn this cohort study, all trauma admissions to the 15 verified level 1 and level 2 trauma centers in LAC from January 1 to June 7, 2020 were reviewed. All trauma admissions from the same period in 2019 were used as historical control. For overall admissions, the study period was divided into 3 intervals based on daily admission trend analysis (January 1 through February 28, March 1 through April 9, April 10 through June 7). For the blunt trauma subgroup analysis, the study period was divided into 3 similar intervals (January 1 through February 27, February 28 through April 5, April 6 through June 7).ExposuresCOVID-19 pandemic.Main outcomes and measuresTrends in trauma admission volume and injury patterns.ResultsA total of 6777 patients in 2020 and 6937 in 2019 met inclusion criteria. Of those admitted in 2020, the median (interquartile range) age was 42 (28-61) years and 5100 (75.3%) were men. Mechanisms of injury were significantly different between the 2 years, with a higher incidence of penetrating trauma and fewer blunt injuries in 2020 compared with 2019 (penetrating: 1065 [15.7%] vs 1065 [15.4%]; blunt: 5309 [78.3%] vs 5528 [79.7%]). Overall admissions by interval in 2020 were 2681, 1684, and 2412, whereas in 2019 they were 2462, 1862, and 2613, respectively. There was a significant increase in overall admissions per week during the first interval (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.02; 95% CI, 1.002-1.04; P = .03) followed by a decrease in the second interval (IRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90-0.94; P < .001) and, finally, an increase in the third interval (IRR, 1.05; CI, 1.03-1.07; P < .001). On subgroup analysis, blunt admissions followed a similar pattern to overall admissions, while penetrating admissions increased throughout the study period.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, trauma centers throughout LAC experienced a significant change in injury patterns and admission trends during the COVID-19 pandemic. A transient decrease in volume was followed by a quick return to baseline levels. Trauma centers should prioritize maintaining access, capacity, and functionality during pandemics and other national emergencies.

Dataset Information

Ecological risk and protective factors for food insufficiency in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Ecological risk and protective factors for food insufficiency in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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