Applying Digital Technology to Understand Human Experiences of Climate Change Impacts on Food Security and Mental Health: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The global impact of climate change ranges from intense heatwaves to extreme weather events that endanger entire ecosystems and people's way of life. Adverse climate change events place undue stress on food and health systems, with consequences for human food security and mental health status. Ubiquitous digital devices, such as smartphones, have the potential to manage existing and emerging climate-related crises, given their ability to enable rapid response, instant communication, and knowledge sharing. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to identify digital apps being used to capture or address climate change impacts on food security and mental health to inform the development of a digital citizen science initiative. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted using 3 peer-reviewed databases (PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science) and manual gray literature searches of relevant organizational (ie, governmental and nonprofit) websites to identify articles and reports published between January 2012 and July 2023. Three separate searches were conducted in each database to identify digital apps focused on climate change and (1) food security, (2) mental health, and (3) food security and mental health. Two reviewers conducted initial screening, with a third reviewer resolving any discrepancies. Articles focused on climate change impacts on wildlife or agriculture (ie, not human food security) were excluded. Full-text screening was conducted for shortlisted articles, and a final data abstraction table was generated, summarizing key app features, contextual factors, and participant involvement. RESULTS: From the 656 records screened, 14 digital apps met the inclusion criteria. The food security apps (n=7, 50%) aimed to capture traditional knowledge to preserve food systems, conduct food security assessments, and aid users in decreasing food insecurity risk. The mental health apps (n=7, 50%) assessed climate change-related stress and provided users with coping strategies following adverse weather events. No digital apps examined the intersection of climate change, food security, and mental health. Key app features included user-to-user communication (n=5, 36%), knowledge databases (n=5, 36%), data collection and analysis (n=3, 21%), gamification (n=1, 7%), and educational resources (n=2, 14%) to address climate change impacts on food security or mental health. In total, 3 approaches to participant involvement were used across studies, including contributory (n=1, 7%), collaborative (n=1, 7%), and cocreative (n=1, 7%) approaches, to ensure the relevance and use of digital apps. CONCLUSIONS: Most digital apps identified provided a service to citizens to either prevent adverse climate change-related health impacts or manage these effects following an acute event or a natural disaster. The capacity of ubiquitous digital tools to enable near real-time communication, the involvement of various stakeholder groups, and their ability to share relevant educational resources in a timely manner are important for developing tailored climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies across jurisdictions.

Early impact of a new food store intervention on health-related outcomes.

This study investigated the early impact of a community-based food intervention, the Good Food Junction (GFJ), a full-service grocery store (September 2012 - January 2016) in a former food desert in Saskatoon, Canada. The hypothesis tested was that frequent shopping at the GFJ improved food security and selected health-related outcomes among shoppers, and the impact was moderated by socioeconomic factors. Longitudinal data were collected from 156 GFJ shoppers, on three occasions: 12-, 18-, and 24-months post-opening. Participants were grouped into three categories based on the frequency of shopping at the GFJ: low, moderate, and high. A generalized estimating equations approach was used for model building; moderating effects were tested. Participants were predominantly female, Indigenous, low-income, and had high school or some post-secondary education. The GFJ use was associated with household food security (OR for high and moderate frequency shoppers reporting less than a high school education were 1.81 and 1.06, respectively), and mental health (OR for high and moderate frequency shoppers reporting high income were 2.82 and 0.87, respectively) exhibiting a dose-response relationship, and indicated that these outcomes were significantly moderated by participants' socioeconomic factors. Shopping at the GFJ had a positive effect on food security and mental health, but to varying levels for those with low incomes, with less than high school or high school or better levels of education.

Food security status and cardiometabolic health by sex/gender and race/ethnicity among adults in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Minoritized racial/ethnic groups and women in the United States (US) are disproportionately burdened by food insecurity, which likely contributes to disparities in cardiovascular health (CVH). Disparities are projected to widen due to the worsening climate crisis that is straining the agricultural system including food supplies. Nonetheless, studies have not investigated the relationship between food security status and 'ideal' CVH in a large, nationally-representative and racially/ethnically diverse US sample. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated household food security status in relation to 'ideal' CVH among US adults (N = 157,001) using 2014-2018/2020 National Health Interview Survey data. Food security status was defined as very low, low, marginal, or high. A summed score of 4 health behaviors and 3 clinical factors totaling 7 different measures was dichotomized (yes/no) to assess modified 'ideal' CVH (mICVH). Using Poisson regression with robust variance, we estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% CIs of mICVH by household food security status. We stratified models by sex/gender and race/ethnicity. Very low food security prevalence was higher among non-Hispanic (NH)-Black (8.0%) compared to Hispanic/Latinx (5.1%), NH-White (3.1%) and NH-Asian (1.7%) adults. The association between very low versus high food security and mICVH was stronger among women (PR = 0.23 [95% CI: 0.17-0.31]) than men (PR = 0.48 [95% CI: 0.35-0.66]). Compared to NH-White adults with high food security, racially/ethnically minoritized groups with very low to high food security were generally less likely (range: [PRvery low = 0.25[95% CI: 0.14-0.44] - [PRhigh = 0.88 [95% CI: 0.79-0.97]) to meet mICVH criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Food insecurity was associated with lower mICVH prevalence and racially/ethnically minoritized groups were disproportionately burdened.

Differing Within-Household Food Security Statuses Are Associated with Varied Maternal Mental Health Outcomes.

Household food insecurity is not necessarily equally experienced by all household members, with mothers often changing their intake first when food resources are limited. The purpose of this study was to understand the association between maternal mental health and intrahousehold differences in food security statuses. A cross-sectional survey was administered to Virginia mothers with low income (August-October 2021), assessing validated measures of food security, mental and physical health and related factors. Participants (n = 570) were grouped according to the food security status of adults and children within the household. Linear regression was used to assess the outcomes of interest by group and controlled for key demographic variables. Mothers in households with any food insecurity reported worse overall mental health and used 3-4 more food coping strategies than households experiencing food security (p < 0.05). Only mothers in households where adults experienced food insecurity reported significantly greater anxiety and depressive symptoms (61.5 and 58.1, respectively) compared to households experiencing food security (55.7 and 52.4, p < 0.001). While any experience of household food insecurity is associated with worse maternal mental health, there were differences by the within-household food security status. Future research should explore screening measures that capture specific household members' food security to connect households with available resources.

A comprehensive analysis of food insecurity in the drought-prone rural areas of Tigray.

BACKGROUND: The number of globally food-insecure people is increasing since 2017. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest proportion of severely food-insecure people in the world. Tigray region of Ethiopia is one of the food-insecure regions, which, over the past many decades has been affected by recurrent food insecurities. In the drought-prone rural areas of Tigray, many people are living under the condition of chronic hunger. Proper food security studies are vital for proper intervention mechanisms. Yet, previous food security studies have rarely addressed the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. In this study, all components are duly considered to assess the food insecurity status in the drought-prone rural areas of Tigray, Ethiopia. Of the 34 rural districts in Tigray, 363 households from three drought-prone rural districts were studied. RESULTS: Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and Food Insecurity Experience Scale were adapted to measure the food availability, access to food, and stability components of food security; and, Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), Food Consumption Score (FCS), mid-upper arm circumference, and Bitot's spot were used to analyze the food utilization aspect. Findings show that 68% of the studied community frequently ate less food than they felt they needed and 82.1% of the households have experienced hunger because of lack of food. The study rural districts were unconnected to road networks; hence, 87.9% of the elderly and 20.4% of the women and girls had no access to food markets. Regarding the food utilization, 81.5% of the studied households had poor FCS; and the average HDDS and FCS for the study areas were 2.47 and 18.9, respectively. The prevalence of Global acute malnutrition, severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) for 6-59 months of age children in the study areas were 50.3, 4.2, and 46.1%, respectively. More notably, the prevalence of SAM for children from the food-insecure households was 21.2%. The prevalence of MAM for pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in the study areas was 59.5. Further, the prevalence of Bitot's spot among 6-59 months of age children was 1.9%. On the other hand, all the rural households had anxiety about their future food demands. CONCLUSION: The rural households living in the studied areas were critically food-insecure. All the measurements implied that the food insecurity situation in the study areas was unacceptably worrisome and life-threatening. This calls for an instant action to avert the occurrence of famine and starvation in the drought-prone rural areas of Tigray region. Thus, interventions should primarily target the vulnerable rural people and need to be planned based on attaining food availability first rather than concurrently addressing all components of food security. Further, due emphasis should be given to diversifying livelihood strategies of the vulnerable villagers.

The associations of food environment with gastrointestinal cancer outcomes in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Social conditions and dietary behaviors have been implicated in the rising burden of gastrointestinal cancers (GIC). The "food environment" reflects influences on a community level relative to food availability, nutritional assistance, and social determinants of health. Using the US Department of Agriculture-Food Environment Atlas (FEA), we sought to characterize the association of food environment on GIC presenting stage and long-term survival. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with GIC between 2013 and 2017 were identified using the SEER database. FEA-scores were based on 282 county-level food security variables, store-restaurant availability, SNAP/WIC enrollment, pricing/taxes, and producer vicinity adjusted-for factors of socioeconomic status, race-ethnicity, transportation access, and comorbidities. Relative FEA rankings across US counties were averaged into a composite score and assigned to patients by county-of-residence. The association of FEA, cancer stage, and survival were analyzed using multiple logistic regression and cox-proportional hazard models relative to White/non-White race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Among 287,148 patients, the most common GIC-sites were colon (n = 97,942, 34%), pancreas (n = 49,785, 17.3%), liver (n = 31,098, 11.0%) and esophagus (n = 16,271, 5.7%). A worse food environment was independently associated with increased odds of late-stage diagnosis (esophageal odds ratio [OR]: 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.05; hepatic OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.08; pancreatic OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06) among all patients; in contrast, food environment was associated with colorectal cancer stage among non-White patients only (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.06). Worse food environment was associated with worse 3-year survival (colon OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04; hepatic OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.08-1.17; gastric OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.13). Similar associations were noted relative to overall survival among the entire cohort (biliary tract hazard ratio [HR]: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05; esophageal HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04; hepatic HR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.06-1.09; pancreatic HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.05; rectum HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04; gastric HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.03-1.07), as well as among non-White patients (biliary HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.07; colon HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05; esophageal HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.08; hepatic HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06-1.10) (all p < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Food environment was independently associated with late-stage tumor presentation and worse 3-year and overall survival among GIC patients. Interventions to address inequities across communities relative to food environments are needed to alleviate disparities in cancer care.

Food Security and Medication Adherence in Young and Middle-Aged Adults with Diabetes.

Medication nonadherence in individuals with diabetes can lead to adverse health outcomes. Young and middle-aged adults are more likely to have low food security than other age groups. However, little research has focused on the relationship between food security and medication adherence in this population. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between food security and medication adherence among young and middle-aged adults with diabetes. This study used 2019 National Health Interview Survey data. Persons were included if they were aged less than 50 and had a diabetes diagnosis. Individuals were categorized as nonadherent to medication if they answered "yes" to one question indicating nonadherence. Food security status was categorized as food secure, low food security, and very low food security. Among adults under age 50 with diabetes, nearly a fifth were categorized as having low or very low food security. Approximately a quarter of the participants were not adherent. Respondents with low food security and very low food security were significantly more likely to be nonadherent to medication than those who were food secure. People with diabetes under the age of 50 who have low or very low food security are at an increased risk for nonadherence to medication.

Matriz para organização dos cuidados em alimentação e nutrição na APS

A alimentação é um direito constitucional, assim como a saúde, e é reconhecida como determinante da saúde. A agenda de Alimentação e Nutrição prevista no artigo 6º da Lei n.° 8.080, de 19 de setembro de 1990, prevê atribuições específicas para o Ministério da Saúde, as Secretarias Estaduais e Municipais de Saúde. Desde a criação do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), o Estado brasileiro passou a ter o dever de garantir a todos(as) o acesso às ações e aos serviços de saúde, seja para os grandes problemas de saúde coletivos, seja para os individuais, a partir dos princípios de universalidade, integralidade e equidade. O SUS, então, inclui a vigilância alimentar e nutricional, a atenção às doenças e aos agravos mais frequentes e mais raros, as vacinas e os transplantes, a promoção da saúde e a promoção e proteção da amamentação, bem como a terapia nutricional, entre tantas outras ofertas de atenção à saúde. Atualmente, as doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNT) são a principal causa de morbimortalidade no Brasil, já atingem 52% das pessoas maiores de 18 anos, sendo as mais prevalentes a hipertensão, problemas na coluna, depressão e diabetes (IBGE, 2020). As doenças transmissíveis continuam exigindo esforços do SUS, como o aperfeiçoamento dos programas de controle de doenças transmitidas por vetores, como dengue, chikungunya e zica. Mais recentemente, o controle da covid-19 e o cuidado com as pessoas que ficaram com condições pós-covid se somam aos desafios a serem enfrentados pelo SUS. É preciso ressaltar ainda que outras condições de saúde relacionadas à Alimentação e Nutrição estão também presentes no cotidiano da vida das pessoas e, portanto, de diversas equipes da APS, apesar da escassez ou inexistência de dados estatísticos nacionais ou da sua baixa prevalência na população. A identificação e o acolhimento dessas pessoas ocorrem, sobretudo, à medida que são aprimoradas a responsabilização pela população adscrita, a acessibilidade, a capacidade resolutiva e a coordenação do cuidado da APS, tornando-a também, assim como os serviços de Atenção Especializada, um ponto fundamental da RAS para a atenção integral à saúde. Também repercute sobre a APS a questão da insegurança alimentar da população, compreendida como a falta de acesso a uma alimentação adequada, condicionada, predominantemente, às questões de renda. Diante desse complexo cenário que se deu a construção da Matriz para Organização dos Cuidados em Alimentação e Nutrição na Atenção Primária à Saúde.

Atenção primária à saúde no contexto da insegurança alimentar e nutricional e da desnutrição

Observa-se no contexto atual, um aumento nas prevalências de insegurança alimentar e nutricional (IAN), o que indica um maior número de famílias brasileiras sem acesso regular e permanente a uma alimentação de qualidade e em quantidade suficiente, sendo essa situação diretamente relacionada com a ocorrência da má nutrição. Considerando a complexidade dos determinantes da saúde e da segurança alimentar e nutricional (SAN), as consequências da desnutrição, e, considerando ainda a importância do diagnóstico e da vigilância alimentar e nutricional, é imprescindível que se consiga avançar na qualificação e organização do cuidado no âmbito da APS, bem como fortalecer o apoio a gestores e profissionais de saúde para o desenvolvimento de estratégias intersetoriais capazes de atuar na garantia da SAN e da saúde. A desnutrição é um problema de saúde pública que acomete a população brasileira, especialmente pessoas de maior vulnerabilidade social e biológica. De acordo com os dados do Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional (Sisvan), em 2020, 14,2% das gestantes apresentaram baixo peso para a idade gestacional, 6,1% das crianças menores de 5 anos estavam com magreza acentuada ou magreza e 13,0% delas com baixa estatura para a idade. O cenário é preocupante, tendo em vista as consequências da desnutrição a curto e longo prazo. A desnutrição associa-se a maior mortalidade e morbidade, é um fator de risco para infecções, como doenças diarreicas e respiratórias, e contribui para um inadequado crescimento e desenvolvimento na primeira infância. Entre os múltiplos fatores para a prevenção da desnutrição, a alimentação adequada e saudável é essencial para garantir o pleno crescimento e desenvolvimento, com destaque para os primeiros mil dias de vida, que englobam o período gestacional e os primeiros dois anos de vida da criança. Uma alimentação em quantidade ou qualidade insuficiente nessas fases da vida associa-se à múltipla carga de má nutrição, caracterizada pela coexistência de desnutrição, excesso de peso e carências nutricionais, como a anemia e a deficiência de vitamina A.

Exploring rural inhabitants' perceptions towards food wastage during COVID-19 lockdowns: Implications for food security in Pakistan.

The lessening of food wastage, specifically among nations where about half of its worldwide quantity is produced, has turned to be a mammoth challenge for environmental, social and economic sustainability, and represents one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) within the Agenda 2030. The quantity of food being thrown away in spite of being in an edible condition has become alarming in middle and high income countries. The COVID-19 lockdown strategy, both at local and international levels, has expressively altered work, life and food consumption behaviors globally, directing to food wastage as a multi sectoral issue. Pakistan has no exception to such manifestations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the perceptions of rural people of Pakistan regarding food wastage during the COVID-19 pandemic. To evaluate whether behavior about food wastage among rural households varied or not during the pandemic, a descriptive survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and 963 responses were selected for further empirical investigations. The findings of the study reveal that food waste actually decreased in spite of an increased amount of purchased food during the lockdown. Our results highlight that the effect of the pandemic has led to reduction in food wastage among rural respondents, an increased consciousness for the morals of food waste, and awareness of environmental impacts of food wastage. The conclusions of this study highlight that rural consumers of Pakistan are emerging with a new level of responsiveness about food wastage with possible positive impact on the environment in terms of decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and other pollutants. The study findings imply that this pandemic time provides a suitable window to raise awareness about food wastage among rural as well as urban households while contemplating effective strategies to overcome the issue of food wastage in the country.

Association of Household Food Insecurity with Nutritional Status and Mental Health of Pregnant Women in Rural Bangladesh.

Food insecurity may affect women's health; however, pertinent research is scant among pregnant women. This study investigated the association of household food insecurity (HFI) with the nutritional status and mental health of 672 early-gestation (5-16 weeks) pregnant women with a singleton fetus, who participated in the screening activity of a community-based trial (NCT04868669) in Matlab, Bangladesh. Height (cm), weight (kg), body mass index (kg/m2), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) (cm), depression, anxiety, and stress were the outcomes studied. HFI was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Women's depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21. Propensity score matching based weighted multivariable linear and logistic regression were used to evaluate the independent association of HFI with the outcomes. In adjusted models, pregnant women from food-insecure households in rural Matlab were on average 2.0 cm shorter (ß = -2.0, 95% CI: -3.3, -0.7), 2.0 kg lighter (ß = -2.0, 95% CI: -3.4, -0.7), and had 0.6 cm lower MUAC (ß = -0.6, 95% CI: -1.1, -0.1) than their food-secure counterparts. HFI was associated with higher odds of depression (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.8, 5.9), anxiety (OR = 6.1, 95% CI: 3.7, 10.0), and stress (OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 1.6, 14.2) among the women. Public health measures should focus on ensuring proper nutrition during the critical growth periods of life, pregnancy, and external environmental shocks, to mitigate the adverse effects of HFI on women's health.

Perceived Produce Availability and Child Fruit and Vegetable Intake: The Healthy Communities Study.

Children eat more fruits and vegetables when more are available at home, but less is known about how the neighborhood food environment relates to children's diet and weight outcomes. The goal of this study was to determine whether parental perception of the food environment (neighborhood and home) is associated with children's fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and weight outcomes, and to assess differences by household food security status and household income. Cross-sectional data from the 2013-2015 U.S. Healthy Communities Study included 5138 children, aged 4 to 15 years old, from 130 U.S. communities. Neighborhood and home food environments were assessed with parent-reported, perceived F&V availability scores. Associations were tested with multi-level linear regression models. Parents' perception of produce availability was associated with household F&V availability ratings (ß = 0.09 points, p < 0.001). Household F&V availability was associated with child F&V intake (ß = 0.32 cups/day or 25.6 g/day, p < 0.001). A higher child F&V intake was associated with a lower child BMI z-score (ß = -0.05, p = 0.002). Weaker relationships were seen for children living in food insecure or low-income households. Optimizing neighborhood and home access to F&V may help children improve diet quality, but may not be as effective for children living in food insecure or low-income households.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Food Insecurity among Mexican University Students' Households.

Household food insecurity (FI) remains a major public health challenge worldwide. Data about perceived FI and its risk factors in Mexican university students are lacking. We aimed to assess FI's prevalence and factors affecting it among university students' households in Mexico. This cross-sectional analysis involved 7671 university students' households using the 2018 Mexican National of Household Income and Expenditure Survey data. Variables analyzed included sociodemographic characteristics, and the 12-item validated Mexican Scale for Food Security (EMSA). Multivariable logistic regression modelling was performed to identify FI risk factors. The overall household FI prevalence was 30.8%. According to FI severity, prevalence rates were 16.3% for mild-FI, 8.8% for moderate-FI, and 5.7% for severe-FI. Low socioeconomic status (OR = 2.72; 95%CI: 2.09-3.54), low education level of household's head (OR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.90-2.94), self-ascription to an indigenous group (OR = 1.59; 95%CI: 1.41-1.79), attending public university (OR = 1.27; 95%CI: 1.13-1.43), female-headed household (OR = 1.26; 95%CI: 1.13-1.40), having worked recently (OR = 1.19; 95%CI: 1.07-1.33), and being in second year of studies (OR = 1.17; 95%CI: 1.03-1.33), were significantly related to FI. Our results confirm that FI is highly prevalent among Mexican university students' households and that sociodemographic factors are essential in addressing this concern. Findings highlight the need for preventive programs and policies to alleviate FI.

Global relationships between crop diversity and nutritional stability.

Nutritional stability - a food system's capacity to provide sufficient nutrients despite disturbance - is an important, yet challenging to measure outcome of diversified agriculture. Using 55 years of data across 184 countries, we assemble 22,000 bipartite crop-nutrient networks to quantify nutritional stability by simulating crop and nutrient loss in a country, and assess its relationship to crop diversity across regions, over time and between imports versus in country production. We find a positive, saturating relationship between crop diversity and nutritional stability across countries, but also show that over time nutritional stability remained stagnant or decreased in all regions except Asia. These results are attributable to diminishing returns on crop diversity, with recent gains in crop diversity among crops with fewer nutrients, or with nutrients already in a country's food system. Finally, imports are positively associated with crop diversity and nutritional stability, indicating that many countries' nutritional stability is market exposed.

Universal School Meals in the US: What Can We Learn from the Community Eligibility Provision?

Changes in school meal programs can affect well-being of millions of American children. Since 2014, high-poverty schools and districts nationwide had an option to provide universal free meals (UFM) through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The COVID-19 pandemic expanded UFM to all schools in 2020-2022. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011, we measured CEP effects on school meal participation, attendance, academic achievement, children's body weight, and household food security. To provide plausibly causal estimates, we leveraged the exogenous variation in the timing of CEP implementation across states and estimated a difference-in-difference model with child random effects, school and year fixed effects. On average, CEP participation increased the probability of children's eating free school lunch by 9.3% and daily school attendance by 0.24 percentage points (p < 0.01). We find no evidence that, overall, CEP affected body weight, test scores and household food security among elementary schoolchildren. However, CEP benefited children in low-income families by decreasing the probability of being overweight by 3.1% (p < 0.05) and improving reading scores of Hispanic children by 0.055 standard deviations. UFM expansion can particularly benefit at-risk children and help improve equity in educational and health outcomes.

COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects.

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and 'flatten the curve' of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.

Racialized Experiences Differentiate Food Security Among African American Adults.

BACKGROUND: Patterns of food security persistently vary by race, yet limited research has examined how community-specific experiences of race and racism are associated with nutritional outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This analysis describes a novel approach for classifying experiences of race and racism and explores the relationship between identified classes and measures of food security and diet quality. METHODS: Cross-sectional self-reported survey data from 306 African American adults living in two urban midwestern cities were collected in 2017-2018. Measures of racialized experiences assessed consciousness of race, perceived discrimination, and health effects of perceived discrimination. Food security was measured with a six-item screener and diet quality with the Healthy Eating Index-2010. Latent class analysis was used to generate racialized classes. Bivariate analyses were conducted to examine differences in class membership by sociodemographics and nutrition outcomes. RESULTS: Participants were majority women who were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Three racialized classes were identified: Class 1 reported few racialized experiences (42.8% of the sample), Class 2 was racially conscious with few experiences of discrimination (45.1%), and Class 3 was both racially conscious and affected by racialized actions (12.1%). Racialized classes were significantly different in mean household income, level of education, home ownership, and job loss in the past year. Class 3 was the least represented among those that were food secure and the most represented among those that were very low food secure. There were no differences by class in Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores. DISCUSSION: Findings offer an innovative method for measuring exposures to racism and for assessing its relationship to food security. Findings highlight heterogeneity of racialized experiences in similar contexts as well as potential root cause targets such as wages, education, home ownership, and employment that may be modulated to mitigate the effects of racism on food insecurity.

Importance of fish for food and nutrition security among First Nations in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between fish/seafood consumption patterns and food security status among First Nations (FN) communities in Canada. We estimated the contribution of fish/seafood to daily nutrient requirements. Barriers to traditional food (TF) access including fish were summarized. METHODS: Data were collected by the First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (2008-2018). The sample of this participatory study comprised 6258 randomly selected FN adults. Fish/seafood consumption was estimated with a food frequency questionnaire. Food security status was assessed with the Household Food Security Survey Module. The contribution of fish/seafood to protein, n-3 fatty acid, vitamin (A, B12, D, niacin) and mineral (selenium, zinc) requirements was assessed by comparison to Dietary Reference Intakes. RESULTS: Regional differences were observed in fish/seafood consumption patterns and their relationship with food security status. In the eastern regions (Ontario, Quebec/Labrador and the Atlantic region), consumption of fish/seafood and other TF was significantly higher among food insecure compared with food secure FN participants. Severely food insecure men (particularly in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec/Labrador and the Atlantic region) tended to eat a higher amount of TF, including fish/seafood, compared with food secure and moderately food insecure men, while no difference was observed in women. Fish/seafood provided good sources of selected nutrients. However, the high cost of harvesting equipment, industry-related activities and climate change reduce access to fish/seafood and other wildlife. CONCLUSION: Fish/seafood continues to be vital to the diet of FN communities. Focusing on policies that support FN increased access to fish/seafood has the potential to decrease food insecurity and support sustainable livelihoods. Future policies should focus on socio-economic determinants of food insecurity and support traditional harvesting and sustainable fisheries among FN communities.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Étudier les relations entre les modèles de consommation de poissons/fruits de mer et l'état de la sécurité alimentaire chez les Premières Nations (PN) au Canada. Nous avons estimé la contribution des poissons/fruits de mer aux besoins quotidiens en nutriments. Les obstacles à l'accès aux aliments traditionnels (AT), y compris le poisson, ont été résumés. MéTHODES: Les données ont été recueillies dans le cadre de l'Étude sur l'alimentation, la nutrition et l'environnement chez les Premières Nations (2008­2018). L'échantillon de cette étude participative comprenait 6 258 adultes PN sélectionnés au hasard. La consommation de poissons/fruits de mer a été estimée à l'aide d'un questionnaire de fréquence alimentaire. Le niveau de sécurité alimentaire a été évalué à l'aide du Module d'enquête sur la sécurité alimentaire des ménages. La contribution des poissons/fruits de mer aux besoins en protéines, en acides gras n-3, en vitamines (A, B12, D, niacine) et en minéraux (sélénium, zinc) a été évaluée par rapport aux apports nutritionnels de référence. RéSULTATS: Des différences régionales ont été observées dans les modes de consommation de poissons/fruits de mer et leur relation avec le niveau de sécurité alimentaire. Dans les régions de l'Est (Ontario, Québec/Labrador et région atlantique), la consommation de poissons/fruits de mer et d'autres AT était significativement plus élevée chez les personnes vivant dans les ménages en situation d'insécurité alimentaire que chez celles en sécurité alimentaire. Les hommes en situation d'insécurité alimentaire sévère (en particulier en Colombie-Britannique, en Alberta, au Québec/Labrador et en région atlantique) avaient tendance à manger une plus grande quantité d'AT, y compris du poisson/fruits de mer, par rapport aux hommes en sécurité alimentaire et en insécurité alimentaire modérée, alors qu'aucune différence n'a été observée chez les femmes. Les poissons/fruits de mer ont fourni de bonnes sources de nutriments sélectionnés. Cependant, le coût élevé du matériel de chasse, les activités liées à l'industrie et le changement climatique réduisent l'accès aux poissons/fruits de mer et à d'autres espèces sauvages. CONCLUSION: Les poissons/fruits de mer continuent d'être essentiels à l'alimentation des PN. L'amélioration de l'accès aux poissons/fruits de mer a le potentiel de promouvoir la sécurité alimentaire et des moyens de subsistance durables. Les politiques futures devraient se concentrer sur les déterminants socio-économiques de l'insécurité alimentaire et soutenir la récolte traditionnelle et la pêche durable chez les PN.