Employment Insurance may mitigate impact of unemployment on food security: Analysis on a propensity-score matched sample from the Canadian Income Survey

Association between precarious employment and emergence of food insecurity in Korean adults: A population-based longitudinal analysis (2008-2022)

BACKGROUND

Precarious employment (PE) represents an important social determinant of health. This study examined the association between PE and the emergence of food insecurity among Korean adults.

METHODS

This study included a nationwide sample of 10,481 adults (49,907 observations). PE was characterized as a multifaceted concept that included insecure employment, inadequate wages, the absence of worker rights and protection, and work environments. PE was divided into four groups according to quartile values: lowest, low, high, and highest. Food insecurity was measured using the Six-Item Short Form of the Household Food Security Survey Module. Time-lagged generalized estimating equations were utilized to examine whether engaging in PE was associated with the emergence of food insecurity in the subsequent year. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated.

RESULT

s: In total, 1.0% of participants experienced food insecurity in the subsequent year. Individuals with low, high, and highest PE levels demonstrated positive associations with food insecurity onset in the following year compared to those with the lowest PE level. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables, the RRs of the association between each PE category and food insecurity were 1.49 (95% CI: 0.99-2.25) for the low PE group, 2.74 (95% CI: 1.83-4.09) for the high PE group, and 5.71 (95% CI: 3.86-8.45) for the highest PE group, respectively.

CONCLUSION

PE, a multidimensional concept, was positively associated with food insecurity among Korean workers. Therefore, policy measures to improve employment quality within the workforce are necessary.

Understanding food insecurity risk in the United States: A longitudinal analysis

Background

Food insecurity, lack of consistent access to the food needed for an active, healthy life, harms population health. Although substantial biomedical evidence examines the connections between food insecurity and health, fewer studies examine why food insecurity occurs.

Methods

We propose a conceptual understanding of food insecurity risk based on institutions that distribute income-the factor payment system (income distribution stemming from paid labor and asset ownership), transfers within households, and the government tax-and-transfer system. A key feature of our understanding is 'roles' individuals inhabit in relation to the factor payment system: child, older adult, disabled working-age adult, student, unemployed individual, caregiver, or paid laborer. A second feature is that the roles of others in an individual's household also affect an individual's food insecurity risk. We tested hypotheses implied by this understanding, particularly hypotheses relating to role, household composition, and income support programs, using nationally-representative, longitudinal U.S. Current Population Survey data (2016-2019).

Results

There were 16,884 participants (year 1 food insecurity prevalence: 10.0%). Inhabiting roles of child (Relative Risk [RR] 1.79, 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI] 1.67 to 1.93), disabled working age-adult (RR 3.74, 95%CI 3.25 to 4.31), or unemployed individual (RR 3.29, 95%CI 2.51 to 4.33) were associated with a greater risk of food insecurity than being a paid laborer. Most food insecure households, 74.8%, had members inhabiting roles of child or disabled working age-adult, and/or contained individuals who experienced job loss. Similar associations held when examining those transitioning from food insecurity to food security in year 2.

Conclusions

The proposed understanding accords with the pattern of food insecurity risk observed in the U.S. An implication is that transfer income programs for individuals inhabiting roles, such as childhood and disability, that limit factor payment system participation may reduce food insecurity risk for both those individuals and those in their household.

Public policy interventions to mitigate household food insecurity in Canada: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this systematic review is to synthesise the evidence on public policy interventions and their ability to reduce household food insecurity (HFI) in Canada.

DESIGN

Four databases were searched up to October 2023. Only studies that reported on public policy interventions that might reduce HFI were included, regardless of whether that was the primary purpose of the study. Title and abstract screening, full-text screening, data extraction, risk of bias and certainty of the evidence assessments were conducted by two reviewers.

RESULTS

Seventeen relevant studies covering three intervention categories were included: income supplementation, housing assistance programmes and food retailer subsidies. Income supplementation had a positive effect on reducing HFI with a moderate to high level of certainty. Housing assistance programmes and food retailer studies may have little to no effect on HFI; however, there is low certainty in the evidence that could change as evidence emerges.

CONCLUSION

The evidence suggests that income supplementation likely reduces HFI for low-income Canadians. Many questions remain in terms of how to optimise this intervention and additional high-quality studies are still needed.