Singh Kelsall T, DeBeck K, Grant C, Gorbach P, Milloy MJ, Hayashi K. Food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada.
Public Health Nutr 2023;
26:1878-1886. [PMID:
37365832 PMCID:
PMC10478041 DOI:
10.1017/s1368980023001234]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To examine prevalence and factors associated with food insecurity among people who use drugs (PWUD) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the overdose crisis.
DESIGN
This cross-sectional study employs multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with self-reported food insecurity.
PARTICIPANTS
PWUD who are part of three community-recruited cohorts.
SETTING
Interviews conducted in Vancouver, Canada, via phone between July and November 2020 in adherence to COVID-19 safety procedures.
RESULTS
Among 765 participants, including 433 (56·6 %) men, eligible for this study, 146 (19·1 %; 95 % CI: 16·3 %, 21·9 %) reported food insecurity in the past month. Of the participants reporting food insecurity, 114 (78·1 %) reported that their hunger levels had increased since the beginning of the pandemic. In multivariable analyses, factors independently and positively associated with food insecurity included: difficulty accessing health or social services (adjusted OR (AOR) = 2·59; 95 % CI: 1·60, 4·17); having mobility difficulties (AOR = 1·59; 95 % CI: 1·02, 2·45) and engaging in street-based income generation (e.g. panhandling and informal recycling) (AOR = 2·31; 95 % CI: 1·45, 3·65).
CONCLUSION
Approximately one in five PWUD reported food insecurity during this time. PWUD with mobility issues, who experienced difficulty accessing services and/or those engaged in precarious street-based income generation were more likely to report food insecurity. Food security is paramount to the success of interventions to prevent COVID-19 and drug toxicity deaths. These findings suggest a need for a more unified state response to food insecurity that prioritises and incorporates accessibility and autonomy of the communities they serve.
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