COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States

Objectives. To determine changes to income and livelihood, food consumption, and hunger due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in three Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean: Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Methods. This was a cross-sectional stud...

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Main Authors: Christina. Howitt, Fitzroy Henry, Kern D. Rocke, Catherine R. Brown, Waneisha Jones, Leith Dunn, T. Alafia Samuels
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pan American Health Organization 2022-08-01
Series:Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
Subjects:
Online Access:https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/56277
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author Christina. Howitt
Fitzroy Henry
Kern D. Rocke
Catherine R. Brown
Waneisha Jones
Leith Dunn
T. Alafia Samuels
author_facet Christina. Howitt
Fitzroy Henry
Kern D. Rocke
Catherine R. Brown
Waneisha Jones
Leith Dunn
T. Alafia Samuels
author_sort Christina. Howitt
collection DOAJ
description Objectives. To determine changes to income and livelihood, food consumption, and hunger due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in three Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean: Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in July 2020. Participants were selected using telephone directories and lists of mobile numbers. Data were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews. Participants rated the impact of COVID-19 on their livelihoods and the Adult Food Security Module was used to assess hunger. To examine how these outcomes varied by sociodemographic group, multivariable logistic regression analysis was used, with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) reported. Results. The analysis included 880 participants. Of these, 40% (344/871) reported some form of hunger, with 18% (153/871) classed as moderate-to-severe hunger. Almost three quarters of households reported some impact on their livelihood (640/880), with 28% (243/880) classifying this impact as moderate to severe. Women were 60% more likely to report that their livelihoods were moderately to severely affected by COVID-19 (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.09, 2.31) and 70% more likely to experience moderate-to-severe hunger (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.37, 2.09). The effects of COVID-19 on livelihood and hunger were greater in those with secondary-school and primary-school education compared with tertiary education. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable segments of the population. Social protection programmes are a key component of efforts to alleviate the pandemics consequences; however, equitable access must be ensured.
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spelling doaj.art-69166f36f5ad48059fe2969c37f4aefb2022-12-22T01:28:26ZengPan American Health OrganizationRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública1020-49891680-53482022-08-0146611710.26633/RPSP.2022.61rpspCOVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing StatesChristina. Howitt0Fitzroy Henry1Kern D. Rocke2Catherine R. Brown3Waneisha Jones4Leith Dunn5T. Alafia Samuels6George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica.George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.Institute for Gender and Development Studies, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.Caribbean Institute for Health Research, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.Objectives. To determine changes to income and livelihood, food consumption, and hunger due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in three Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean: Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in July 2020. Participants were selected using telephone directories and lists of mobile numbers. Data were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews. Participants rated the impact of COVID-19 on their livelihoods and the Adult Food Security Module was used to assess hunger. To examine how these outcomes varied by sociodemographic group, multivariable logistic regression analysis was used, with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) reported. Results. The analysis included 880 participants. Of these, 40% (344/871) reported some form of hunger, with 18% (153/871) classed as moderate-to-severe hunger. Almost three quarters of households reported some impact on their livelihood (640/880), with 28% (243/880) classifying this impact as moderate to severe. Women were 60% more likely to report that their livelihoods were moderately to severely affected by COVID-19 (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.09, 2.31) and 70% more likely to experience moderate-to-severe hunger (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.37, 2.09). The effects of COVID-19 on livelihood and hunger were greater in those with secondary-school and primary-school education compared with tertiary education. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable segments of the population. Social protection programmes are a key component of efforts to alleviate the pandemics consequences; however, equitable access must be ensured.https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/56277hungerfood securitycovid-19caribbean region
spellingShingle Christina. Howitt
Fitzroy Henry
Kern D. Rocke
Catherine R. Brown
Waneisha Jones
Leith Dunn
T. Alafia Samuels
COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
hunger
food security
covid-19
caribbean region
title COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States
title_full COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States
title_fullStr COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States
title_full_unstemmed COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States
title_short COVID-19 and the social distribution of hunger in three Caribbean Small Island Developing States
title_sort covid 19 and the social distribution of hunger in three caribbean small island developing states
topic hunger
food security
covid-19
caribbean region
url https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/56277
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