New paper on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected populations that were already facing socioeconomic disadvantages and limited access to health care services. The livelihood of millions was further compromised when strict shelter-in-place measures forced them out of their jobs. The way that individuals accessed food during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed as a result of declines in household income, food chain supply disruptions, and social distance measures. This qualitative study examined the food access experiences of participants enrolled in a safety-net health care system-based, free, monthly fruit and vegetable market in the Metro Boston area during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer rich qualitative information to understand the financial repercussions of the pandemic on food access.

Cortés, D.E., Zack, R.M., Odayar, V., Moyer, M., Kumar, A., Maia, J.L., ... Granick, J. (2024). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Access: Insights from First-Person Accounts in a Safety-Net Health Care System. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 35(1), 37-54. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/919806.