IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i22p8424-d444845.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Food Insecurity in the Post-Hurricane Harvey Setting: Risks and Resources in the Midst of Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Kevin M. Fitzpatrick

    (Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA)

  • Don E. Willis

    (Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA)

  • Matthew L. Spialek

    (Department of Communications, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA)

  • Emily English

    (Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA)

Abstract

Food insecurity is of heightened concern during and after natural disasters; higher prevalence is typically reported in post-disaster settings. The current study examines food insecurity prevalence and specific risk/resource variables that may act as barriers or advantages in accessing food in such a setting. Using a modified quota sample ( n = 316), Hurricane Harvey survivors participated in face-to-face interviews and/or online surveys that assessed health, social and household factors, and sociodemographic characteristics. Using logistic regression analyses we find that social vulnerabilities, circumstantial risk, and social and psychological resources are important in determining the odds of food insecurity. Hispanic and/or Nonwhite survivors, renters, and those persons displaced during the natural disaster have higher food insecurity odds. Survivors with stronger social ties, higher levels of mastery, and a greater sense of connectedness to their community are found to have lower food insecurity odds. A more nuanced analysis of circumstantial risk finds that while the independent effects of displacement and home ownership are important, so too is the intersection of these two factors, with displaced-renters experiencing significantly higher odds than any other residence and displacement combinations, and particularly those who are homeowners not displaced during the disaster. Strategies for addressing differential risks, as well as practical approaches for implementation and education programming related to disaster recovery, are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin M. Fitzpatrick & Don E. Willis & Matthew L. Spialek & Emily English, 2020. "Food Insecurity in the Post-Hurricane Harvey Setting: Risks and Resources in the Midst of Uncertainty," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-16, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:22:p:8424-:d:444845
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8424/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8424/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martin, Katie S & Rogers, Beatrice L & Cook, John T & Joseph, Hugh M, 2004. "Social capital is associated with decreased risk of hunger," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(12), pages 2645-2654, June.
    2. Masozera, Michel & Bailey, Melissa & Kerchner, Charles, 2007. "Distribution of impacts of natural disasters across income groups: A case study of New Orleans," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2-3), pages 299-306, August.
    3. Christina M Pollard & Sue Booth, 2019. "Food Insecurity and Hunger in Rich Countries—It Is Time for Action against Inequality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-13, May.
    4. Lauren A. Clay & Mia A. Papas & Kimberly B. Gill & David M. Abramson, 2018. "Factors Associated with Continued Food Insecurity among Households Recovering from Hurricane Katrina," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-10, August.
    5. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2019. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2018," Economic Research Report 301167, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    6. Lauren A. Clay & Ashley D. Ross, 2020. "Factors Associated with Food Insecurity Following Hurricane Harvey in Texas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-17, January.
    7. Sarah R Lowe & Laura Sampson & Oliver Gruebner & Sandro Galea, 2015. "Psychological Resilience after Hurricane Sandy: The Influence of Individual- and Community-Level Factors on Mental Health after a Large-Scale Natural Disaster," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-15, May.
    8. Klinenberg, E., 2016. "Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Living Alone: Identifying the Risks for Public Health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 106(5), pages 786-787.
    9. Lois Morton & Ella Bitto & Mary Oakland & Mary Sand, 2008. "Accessing food resources: Rural and urban patterns of giving and getting food," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 25(1), pages 107-119, January.
    10. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2019. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2018," Administrative Publications 320791, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Denney, Justin T. & Brewer, Mackenzie & Kimbro, Rachel Tolbert, 2020. "Food insecurity in households with young children: A test of contextual congruence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    2. Alexandria J. Drake & Lora A. Phillips & Brajesh Karna & Shakthi Bharathi Murugesan & Lily K. Villa & Nathan A. Smith, 2023. "Food insecurity and disasters: predicting disparities in total and first-time food pantry visits during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 493-504, April.
    3. Amier Haidar & Christine Markham & Allison Marshall & Ru-Jye Chuang & Meredith Spence & Jennifer Boone & Mike Pomeroy & Rich Dachman & Jaimie N. Davis & Shreela V. Sharma, 2021. "Innovative Partnerships to Address Food Insecurity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Brighter Bites Produce Voucher Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-10, August.
    4. Leddy, Anna M. & Whittle, Henry J. & Shieh, Jacqueline & Ramirez, Catalina & Ofotokun, Ighovwerha & Weiser, Sheri D., 2020. "Exploring the role of social capital in managing food insecurity among older women in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    5. Bafowaa, Bridget Y. & Leschewski, Andrea, 2023. "Impact Of COVID-19 Relief Packages on US Household Food Expenditures," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335676, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Economic Research Report 327207, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Kashyap, Pratyoosh & Jablonski, Becca B. R., 2023. "Diffusion of Universal Free School Meals in the United States: Examining Factors Influencing Adoption of Community Eligibility Provision," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335700, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Maryruth Belsey-Priebe & Deborah Lyons & Jonathan J. Buonocore, 2021. "COVID-19′s Impact on American Women’s Food Insecurity Foreshadows Vulnerabilities to Climate Change," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-14, June.
    9. Danielle Gallegos & Areana Eivers & Peter Sondergeld & Cassandra Pattinson, 2021. "Food Insecurity and Child Development: A State-of-the-Art Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-17, August.
    10. Elena Carrillo-Álvarez & Blanca Salinas-Roca & Lluís Costa-Tutusaus & Raimon Milà-Villarroel & Nithya Shankar Krishnan, 2021. "The Measurement of Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-57, September.
    11. Christina Mary Pollard & Sue Booth, 2019. "Addressing Food and Nutrition Security in Developed Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-5, July.
    12. Marcus, Michelle & Yewell, Katherine G., 2022. "The Effect of Free School Meals on Household Food Purchases: Evidence from the Community Eligibility Provision," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    13. Makenzie L. Barr & Jade McNamara, 2022. "Community-Based Participatory Research: Partnering with College Students to Develop a Tailored, Wellness-Focused Intervention for University Campuses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-15, December.
    14. Kathryn M. Janda & Nalini Ranjit & Deborah Salvo & Deanna M. Hoelscher & Aida Nielsen & Joy Casnovsky & Alexandra van den Berg, 2022. "Examining Geographic Food Access, Food Insecurity, and Urbanicity among Diverse, Low-Income Participants in Austin, Texas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-12, April.
    15. Hannah G. Calvert & Punam Ohri-Vachaspati & Michaela McQuilkin & Peter Boedeker & Lindsey Turner, 2021. "Prevalence of Evidence-Based School Meal Practices and Associations with Reported Food Waste across a National Sample of U.S. Elementary Schools," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-15, August.
    16. Brittany M. Loofbourrow & Rachel E. Scherr, 2023. "Food Insecurity in Higher Education: A Contemporary Review of Impacts and Explorations of Solutions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-15, May.
    17. Testa, Alexander & Fahmy, Chantal, 2021. "Incarceration exposure and food insecurity during pregnancy: Investigating the moderating role of social support," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    18. Dean, Wesley R. & Sharkey, Joseph R., 2011. "Food insecurity, social capital and perceived personal disparity in a predominantly rural region of Texas: An individual-level analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1454-1462, May.
    19. Suttles, Shellye A. & Babb, Angela & Knudsen, Daniel, 2022. "Submitted and Denied: Understanding Variation in Case Status Across Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Applications," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322195, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Jackson, Dylan B. & Johnson, Kecia R. & Vaughn, Michael G. & Hinton, Marissa E., 2019. "The role of neighborhoods in household food insufficiency: Considering interactions between physical disorder, low social capital, violence, and perceptions of danger," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 58-67.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:22:p:8424-:d:444845. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.