Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40367134›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Association between early-pandemic food assistance use and subsequent food security trajectories among households in Washington State during the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

James H Buszkiewicz, Ashley S Tseng, Jane Dai, Alan Ismach, Shawna Beese, Sarah M Collier, Marie L Spiker, Jennifer J Otten

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

James H BuszkiewiczDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7919-7103
Ashley S TsengDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Jane DaiDepartment of Health Systems and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Alan IsmachFood Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Shawna BeeseCollege of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1815-6594
Sarah M CollierFood Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Marie L SpikerDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6348-5960
Jennifer J OttenFood Systems, Nutrition, and Health Program, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.

Funding

Scientific/Technical CoreP2CHD042828 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI SARA R. CURRAN · 2017 to 2026
$6.3M
NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD042828
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundResearch on COVID-19's impact on food insecurity has primarily relied on cross-sectional data or long recall periods, with limited investigations into longitudinal patterns or the role of food assistance.

methodsWe analyzed longitudinal data from 703 respondents participating in at least three Washington State Food Security Survey waves between June 18, 2020, and January 7, 2023. We assessed food security using the United States Department of Agriculture's six-item module, categorizing respondents' trajectories as persistently food secure, persistently food insecure, or experiencing one or more food insecurity transitions. We categorized food assistance use as never used, used before COVID-19 but not at baseline, did not use before COVID-19 but used at baseline, or always used. We descriptively examined sociodemographic factors linked to each food security trajectory and food assistance use pattern. We assessed associations between food assistance use and food security trajectories using modified Poisson regression.

resultsWe found that 20.2% of respondents were persistently food insecure, and 22.5% experienced one or more food insecurity transitions. Both patterns were more common among respondents who were aged 35 to 64, had a gender identity other than man or woman, were non-Hispanic Black, were single or divorced, had children, had some college education or less, reported $35,000 or less in household income, or were unemployed. In fully adjusted models, respondents who were newly using food assistance early in the COVID-19 pandemic had a higher probability of being persistently food insecure (marginal effect [ME] = 0.320, 95% CI = 0.204, 0.436) or experiencing one or more food insecurity transitions (ME = 0.216, 95% CI = 0.069, 0.363), than those who never used assistance.

conclusionsOur findings highlight the importance of examining food security trajectories and food assistance use patterns and implementing policies that help households new to food assistance programs navigate these systems.

Indexed as

COVID-19Food AssistanceFood SecurityFood SupplyAdolescentAdultFamily CharacteristicsFemaleFood InsecurityHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Surveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID40367134
PMCPMC12077706

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.