Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown.
<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide lockdown could negatively impact household food insecurity among low-income households. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of household food insecurity and its influencing factors among low-income people in Bangladesh d...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267488 |
| _version_ | 1811296476039479296 |
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| author | Suvasish Das Shuvo Md Sakhawot Hossain Md Riazuddin Sanaullah Mazumdar Deepa Roy |
| author_facet | Suvasish Das Shuvo Md Sakhawot Hossain Md Riazuddin Sanaullah Mazumdar Deepa Roy |
| author_sort | Suvasish Das Shuvo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide lockdown could negatively impact household food insecurity among low-income households. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of household food insecurity and its influencing factors among low-income people in Bangladesh during the lockdown of COVID-19.<h4>Methods</h4>This cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face interviews from 500 low-income households during the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown. A pretested, structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic characteristics, household income conditions, and food accessibility. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) were used to measure food insecurity. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated to evaluate and predict risk factors that influence food insecurity.<h4>Results</h4>The study found that above 67% of households was mild-to-moderate food insecure while 23% experienced severe food insecurity. Significantly, 88%, 97.4%, and 93.4% of the households had anxiety and uncertainty, inadequate quality, and inadequate quantity of food, respectively. The regression analysis revealed the age 36-50 years (RRR: 4.86; 95% CI: 2.31-7.44, RRR: 4.16; 95% CI: 2.25-6.10) and monthly income <58.3 USD (RRR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.12-5.14, RRR: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.79-4.71) were significantly associated with food insecurity (p <0.001). Likewise, less-income (RRR: 3.87; 95% CI: 1.37-6.46, RRR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.16-4.83), increase in food prices (RRR: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.32-2.33, RRR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.05-1.12), and those who did not have same type of earning as before during the COVID-19 lockdown (RRR: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.33-5.62, RRR: 2.60; 95% CI: 0.99-4.24) were potential risk factor for MMFI and FI.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study found that households become more susceptible to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period. Based on the findings, we suggest some essential food policies and adequate food assistance to mitigate these negative consequences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:49:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-feda2eb5a5644cb5a923b1012603a630 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:49:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-feda2eb5a5644cb5a923b1012603a6302022-12-22T02:59:50ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01175e026748810.1371/journal.pone.0267488Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown.Suvasish Das ShuvoMd Sakhawot HossainMd RiazuddinSanaullah MazumdarDeepa Roy<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide lockdown could negatively impact household food insecurity among low-income households. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of household food insecurity and its influencing factors among low-income people in Bangladesh during the lockdown of COVID-19.<h4>Methods</h4>This cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face interviews from 500 low-income households during the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown. A pretested, structured and validated questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic characteristics, household income conditions, and food accessibility. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) were used to measure food insecurity. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated to evaluate and predict risk factors that influence food insecurity.<h4>Results</h4>The study found that above 67% of households was mild-to-moderate food insecure while 23% experienced severe food insecurity. Significantly, 88%, 97.4%, and 93.4% of the households had anxiety and uncertainty, inadequate quality, and inadequate quantity of food, respectively. The regression analysis revealed the age 36-50 years (RRR: 4.86; 95% CI: 2.31-7.44, RRR: 4.16; 95% CI: 2.25-6.10) and monthly income <58.3 USD (RRR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.12-5.14, RRR: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.79-4.71) were significantly associated with food insecurity (p <0.001). Likewise, less-income (RRR: 3.87; 95% CI: 1.37-6.46, RRR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.16-4.83), increase in food prices (RRR: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.32-2.33, RRR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.05-1.12), and those who did not have same type of earning as before during the COVID-19 lockdown (RRR: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.33-5.62, RRR: 2.60; 95% CI: 0.99-4.24) were potential risk factor for MMFI and FI.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study found that households become more susceptible to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period. Based on the findings, we suggest some essential food policies and adequate food assistance to mitigate these negative consequences.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267488 |
| spellingShingle | Suvasish Das Shuvo Md Sakhawot Hossain Md Riazuddin Sanaullah Mazumdar Deepa Roy Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. PLoS ONE |
| title | Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. |
| title_full | Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. |
| title_fullStr | Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. |
| title_short | Factors influencing low-income households' food insecurity in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdown. |
| title_sort | factors influencing low income households food insecurity in bangladesh during the covid 19 lockdown |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267488 |
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