COVID-19, food security and maternal mental health in Ceará, Brazil: a repeated cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT Objective To quantify the change in the risk of food insecurity and maternal mental disorder (MMD) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Repeated cross-sectional survey. Between July 17 and September 10, 2020, mother-child pairs who were enrolled in a population-based survey in 2017 were re-contacted by telephone for consent and to complete a telephonic COVID-19 survey. We used the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale to assess food security and the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) to assess maternal mental disorders. McNemar’s test for paired data that also accounted for clustering was used. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship of unemployment and receipt of government assistance with food insecurity and MMD in 2020. Setting Ceará, Brazil. Participants 577 mother-child pairs who completed the 2017 and 2020 surveys. At the time of the 2020 interview, the child cohort was 36-108 months of age. Results The proportion of mothers reporting food insecurity was 15.5% higher (95% CI: (5.9 – 25.1), p-value < 0.001) during the pandemic in July-August 2020 as compared to November 2017, while the prevalence of MMD was 40.2% higher during the pandemic (95% CI: 32.6 – 47.8, p-value < 0.001). Loss of formal employment was associated with increased risk of food insecurity, but not with the risk of MMD. Conclusions The risk of food insecurity and MMD in Ceará increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight the need for policies and interventions to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child health, nutrition, and well-being in Brazil.

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Food insecurity measurement and prevalence estimates during the COVID-19 pandemic in a repeated cross-sectional survey in Mexico

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980020004000 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pablo Gaitán-Rossi ◽

Mireya Vilar-Compte ◽

Graciela Teruel ◽

Rafael Pérez-Escamilla

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Latin American ◽

Economic Status ◽

Internal Validity ◽

Well Being ◽

Mobile Telephone ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adequate Model

Abstract Objective: To validate the telephone modality of the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA) included in three waves of a phone survey to estimate the monthly household food insecurity prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. Design: We examined the reliability and internal validity of the ELCSA scale in three repeated waves of cross-sectional surveys with Rasch models. We estimated the monthly prevalence of food insecurity in the general population and in households with and without children and compared them with a national 2018 survey. We tested concurrent validity by testing associations of food insecurity with socio-economic status and anxiety. Setting: ENCOVID-19 is a monthly telephone cross-sectional survey collecting information on the well-being of Mexican households during the pandemic lockdown. Surveys used probabilistic samples, and we used data from April (n 833), May (n 850) and June 2020 (n 1674). Participants: Mexicans 18 years or older who had a mobile telephone. Results: ELCSA had an adequate model fit and food insecurity was associated, within each wave, with more poverty and anxiety. The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with an important reduction in food security, decreasing stepwise from 38·9 % in 2018 to 24·9 % in June 2020 in households with children. Conclusions: Telephone surveys were a feasible strategy to monitor reductions in food security during the COVID-19 lockdown.

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Measurement lessons of a repeated cross-sectional household food insecurity survey during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico

10.1101/2020.08.04.20167650 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Pablo Gaitan-Rossi ◽

Mireya Vilar-Compte ◽

Graciela Teruel ◽

Rafael Perez-Escamilla

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Latin American ◽

Well Being ◽

Mobile Telephone ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adequate Model ◽

Household Food

Objective To validate the telephone modality of the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA) included in three waves of a phone survey to estimate the monthly household food insecurity (HFI) prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. Design We examined the reliability and internal validity of the ELCSA scale in three repeated waves of a cross-sectional surveys with Rasch models. We estimated the monthly prevalence of food insecurity in the general population and in households with and without children, and compared them with a national 2018 survey. We tested concurrent validity by testing associations of HFI with socioeconomic status and anxiety. Setting ENCOVID-19 is a monthly telephone cross-sectional survey collecting information on the well-being of Mexican households during the pandemic lockdown. Surveys used probabilistic samples and we used data from April (n=833), May (n=850), and June 2020 (n=1,674). Participants Mexicans 18 years or older who had a mobile telephone. Results ELCSA had adequate model fit and HFI was associated, within each wave, with more poverty and anxiety. The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with an important reduction in food security; decreasing stepwise from 38.9% in 2018 to 24.9% in June 2020 in households with children. Conclusions Telephone surveys are a feasible strategy to monitor food insecurity with ELCSA.

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The impact of COVID‐19 on work, training and well‐being experiences of nursing associates in England: A cross‐sectional survey

Nursing Open ◽

10.1002/nop2.928 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel King ◽

Tony Ryan ◽

Michaela Senek ◽

Emily Wood ◽

Bethany Taylor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Work Training ◽

The Impact

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Acute food insecurity and short-term coping strategies of urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic of 2020: report of a cross-sectional survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043365 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. e043365

Author(s):

Subhasish Das ◽

Md. Golam Rasul ◽

Md Shabab Hossain ◽

Ar-Rafi Khan ◽

Md Ashraful Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Rural Households ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Food Insecure Households

IntroductionWe conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the extent and to identify the determinants of food insecurity and coping strategies in urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the month-long, COVID-19 lockdown period.SettingSelected urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.Participants106 urban and 106 rural households.Outcome variables and methodHousehold food insecurity status and the types of coping strategies were the outcome variables for the analyses. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were done to identify the determinants.ResultsWe found that around 90% of the households were suffering from different grades of food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was higher in urban (42%) than rural (15%) households. The rural households with mild/moderate food insecurity adopted either financial (27%) or both financial and food compromised (32%) coping strategies, but 61% of urban mild/moderate food insecure households applied both forms of coping strategies. Similarly, nearly 90% of severely food insecure households implemented both types of coping strategies. Living in poorest households was significantly associated (p value <0.05) with mild/moderate (regression coefficient, β: 15.13, 95% CI 14.43 to 15.82), and severe food insecurity (β: 16.28, 95% CI 15.58 to 16.97). The statistically significant (p <0.05) determinants of both food compromised and financial coping strategies were living in urban areas (β: 1.8, 95% CI 0.44 to 3.09), living in poorest (β: 2.7, 95% CI 1 to 4.45), poorer (β: 2.6, 95% CI 0.75 to 4.4) and even in the richer (β: 1.6, 95% CI 0.2 to 2.9) households and age of the respondent (β: 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.21).ConclusionBoth urban and rural households suffered from moderate to severe food insecurity during the month-long lockdown period in Bangladesh. But, poorest, poorer and even the richer households adopted different coping strategies that might result in long-term economic and nutritional consequences.

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Exploring the Impact of Crises on Food Security in Lebanon: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13168753 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 8753

Author(s):

Maha Hoteit ◽

Youssef Al-Atat ◽

Hussein Joumaa ◽

Suheir El Ghali ◽

Rania Mansour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Assessment System ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The People ◽

Food Consumption Score ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

This study aims to explore the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among Lebanese households since the ordeals of COVID-19, economic crisis, and Beirut port explosions. At the core of the study, a mobile application entitled Nutrition Assessment System (NAS) that simplified the data collection was used as toolkit and a technical test was carried out in all Lebanese governorates between November 2020 and March 2021. Findings show that food insecurity is an immediate problem for households in Beirut and in many governorates in Lebanon. Nine in every 16 households ate less than 2 meals per day and more than 70% of them skipped their meals to spare food. Even though half the population studied had a low food consumption score, 82.4% of the people were not relying on livelihood coping strategies. However, more than three out of ten of these households relied on at least three food-based coping strategies. In addition, as for the livelihoods, this assessment found that most Lebanese households reported a drop in income along with an expansion in debt incurrence in the last 24 months to be able to buy food. Improving food security in Lebanon requires effort not only on the part of the government, but through regional and international actions.

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Exploring the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education: an international cross-sectional study of medical learners

Canadian Medical Education Journal ◽

10.36834/cmej.71149 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Allison Brown ◽

Aliya Kassam ◽

Mike Paget ◽

Kenneth Blades ◽

Megan Mercia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Training ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Future Research ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The World ◽

Geographic Regions ◽

The Impact

Background: The evidence surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on medical learners remains anecdotal and highly speculative despite the anticipated impact and potential consequences of the current pandemic on medical training. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent that COVID-19 initially impacted medical learners around the world and examine global trends and patterns across geographic regions and levels of training. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical learners was conducted between March 25–June 14, 2020, shortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Results: 6492 learners completed the survey from 140 countries. Most medical schools removed learners from the clinical environment and adopted online learning, but students reported concerns about the quality of their learning, training progression, and milestone fulfillment. Residents reported they could be better utilized and expressed concerns about their career timeline. Trainees generally felt under-utilized and wanted to be engaged clinically in meaningful ways; however, some felt that contributing to healthcare during a pandemic was beyond the scope of a learner. Significant differences were detected between levels of training and geographic regions for satisfaction with organizational responses as well as the impact of COVID-19 learner wellness and state-trait anxiety. Conclusions: The disruption to the status quo of medical education is perceived by learners across all levels and geographic regions to have negatively affected their training and well-being, particularly amongst postgraduate trainees. These results provide initial empirical insights into the areas that warrant future research as well as consideration for current and future policy planning.

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Sex Differences in the Association Between Food Insecurity and Obesity Among College Students

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 181-181

Author(s):

Aseel El Zein ◽

Karla Shelnutt ◽

Sarah Colby ◽

Geoffrey Greene ◽

Wenjun Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

High Food ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to assess the association between food insecurity and obesity and to examine whether it varies by sex. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in spring 2017 among college students from eight U.S. institutions. Participants (n = 683) completed the USDA Adult Food Security Survey and had their weight and height measured by researchers. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the sex-specific associations between food insecurity and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), after adjusting for socioeconomic covariates. Results Overall, 25.4% of students identified as food insecure and 10.5% were obese. The prevalence of obesity increased as the level of food insecurity increased, from 5.2% for those with high food security, 13.4% for those with marginal food security, to 17.4% and 21.6% for students with low and very low food security. In logistic regression analysis, marginal, low and very low food security students had an odds ratio of 2.83 (95% CI: 1.43, 5.57), 3.86 (95% CI: 1.88, 7.91), and 5.05 (95% CI:, 2.44, 10.48) of obesity compared to students with high food security, exhibiting a dose-response relationship. Among females, having marginal (OR = 4.21, 95% CI: 1.70, 9.75), low (OR = 4.51, 95% CI: 1.40, 12.47), or very low food security (OR = 7.08, 95% CI: 2.60, 18.41) predicted higher odds of obesity compared to female students with high food security. Among males, those with low food security had higher odds of obesity (OR = 6.40, 95% CI: 1.78, 20.7). Conclusions The association between food insecurity and obesity in U.S. college students remained after adjustment for multiple socio-economic factors. Overall, food insecure females experienced an increase in the risk of obesity as food insecurity increased; however, only males with low food security had an increased risk of obesity. Programs directed toward obesity prevention need to address any level of food insecurity as a risk factor in females, and target males with low food security. Although beyond the scope of this study, it is possible that programs to reduce food insecurity may help prevent obesity in college students. Funding Sources This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2014–67,001-21,851.

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The Role of Helplessness in the Appraisal of Illness Uncertainty in Women With Fibromyalgia

Nursing Science Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0894318420943151 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 346-352

Author(s):

Melody D. Reibel ◽

Marianne H. Hutti

Keyword(s):

Survey Design ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Illness Uncertainty ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder characterized by uncertainty in etiology, symptomatology, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. The high level of illness uncertainty that results from fibromyalgia is a risk factor for maladjustment to illness. A cross-sectional survey design was used to examine the relationships among illness uncertainty, helplessness, and subjective well-being in 138 women with fibromyalgia. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine a predictive model for mediation. We found illness uncertainty is negatively associated with subjective well-being and that helplessness strongly influences the impact of illness uncertainty on subjective well-being in women with fibromyalgia.

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The assessment of food security in homeless individuals: a comparison of the Food Security Survey Module and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980011001327 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. 2254-2259 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Anna C Holland ◽

Matthew C Kennedy ◽

Stephen W Hwang

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Homeless Population ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Household Food ◽

The Us ◽

Food Insecurity Access

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), the US Food Security Survey Module (US FSSM) and a modified version of the US FSSM in which references to buying food were changed to references to getting food, in terms of their classification of food security levels among homeless individuals, and to determine which of these instruments was most preferred by homeless individuals.DesignA cross-sectional survey.SettingRecruitment of participants took place at seven shelters and from three drop-in programmes that serve homeless individuals in Toronto, Canada.SubjectsFifty individuals who were ≥18 years of age, able to communicate in English and currently homeless.ResultsThe modified US FSSM assigned 20 % of participants to a lower ordinal food security category compared with the US FSSM, and only 8 % to a higher food security category. The HFIAS assigned 30 % of participants to a lower food security category compared with either the US FSSM or the modified US FSSM, and only 10–16 % of participants to a higher food security category. When asked to compare all three instruments, the majority of respondents (62 %) selected the HFIAS as the best instrument for people who are homeless.ConclusionsA majority of homeless individuals selected the HFIAS as the best food security instrument for people who are homeless. Our findings suggest that the HFIAS is a more appropriate instrument than the US FSSM for measuring food security in the homeless population.

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Mobile Health Program to Reduce Psychological Treatment Gap in Mental Healthcare in Alberta Through Daily Supportive Text Messages – Cross-sectional Survey Evaluating Text4Mood

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1970 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S139-S139 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

V. Agyapong ◽

K. Mrklas ◽

M. Juhás ◽

J. Omeje ◽

A. Ohinmaa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Response Rate ◽

Psychological Treatment ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Well Being ◽

Text Messages ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Treatment Gap ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

BackgroundTo complement the oversubscribed counselling services in Alberta, the Text4Mood program which delivers daily supportive text messages to subscribers was launched on the 18th of January, 2016. This report presents an evaluation of self-reports of the impact of the program on the mental wellbeing of subscribers.MethodsAn online link to a survey questionnaire was created by an expert group and delivered via text messages to mobile phones of all 4111 active subscribers of the Text4Mood program as of April 11, 2016.ResultsOverall, 894 subscribers answered the survey (overall response rate 21.7%). The response rate for individual questions varied and is reported alongside the results. Most respondents were female (83%, n = 668), Caucasian (83%, n = 679), and diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (38%, n = 307), including Depression (25.4%, n = 227) and Anxiety (20%, n = 177). Overall, 52% (n = 461) signed up for Text4Mood to help elevate their mood and 24.5% (n = 219) signed up to help them worry less. Most respondents felt the text messages made them more hopeful about managing issues in their lives (81.7%, n = 588), feel in charge of managing depression and anxiety (76.7%, n = 552), and feel connected to a support system (75.2%, n = 542). The majority of respondents felt Text4Mood improved their overall mental well-being (83.1%, n = 598).ConclusionSupportive text messages are a feasible and acceptable way of delivering adjunctive psychological interventions. Given that text messages are affordable, readily available, and can be delivered to thousands of people simultaneously, they present an opportunity to help close the psychological treatment gap for mental health patients.

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