- Author: Katherine Lanca
- Editor: Danielle L. Lee
- Editor: Wendi Gosliner
- Editor: Rita Hamad
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The COVID-19 pandemic caused sudden economic, childcare, and housing disruptions to families with low incomes and young children, resulting in poor health outcomes such as food insecurity and depressive symptoms. These findings are shared in a new study that interviewed 464 racially diverse female caregivers with low income in California. Data collected as part of the Assessing California Communities' Experiences with Safety Net Supports Survey (ACCESS) from August 2020 to May 2021 showed that most caregivers reported disruptions to childcare and employment, and fewer reported housing disruptions. The women experiencing childcare and housing disruptions had significantly higher depressive symptoms, lower self-rated health and greater food insecurity than those not experiencing the disruptions. Experiencing employment disruptions was not associated with the health outcomes assessed. The research highlights structural deficits of policies and other supports for those facing childcare and housing disruptions during the pandemic, and suggests avenues to enhance the health of families with young children. The study published in the BMC Public Health Journal was conducted by Erika M. Brown, Rita Hamad, and Kaitlyn E. Jackson from the University of California San Francisco, Lia C.H. Fernald and Mekhala Hoskote with the University of California Berkeley, and Wendi Gosliner with the Nutrition Policy Institute. This project was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Tipping Point, University of California (R00RG2805), University of California Office of the President, and Berkeley Population Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
Like California, Maine is providing Universal School Meals statewide for the 2022-2023 school year. The Nutrition Policy Institute is collaborating with a national research team to understand the opportunities and challenges of providing universal school meals during the federally-funded COVID-19 implementation of free school meals in Maine to inform continuation of universal school meals beyond the federally supported program. During spring of 2022, a total of 43 school food authorities (SFA) in Maine completed an online survey about the challenges and benefits of school food service during the COVID-19 federally funded universal meals program as well as their hopes and concerns about continuing to implement universal school meals. SFAs reported benefits of USM such as increased school meal participation, reductions in perceived stigma of eating school meals, and the new absence of unpaid meal charges. Notable challenges reported during the COVID-19 pandemic were related to resources such as time, personnel, and financial support to meet the increased number of student school meal participation. Rural schools reported greater challenges than urban schools. The study highlights the role of public policy at local, state, and federal levels to support schools as they work to promote nutrition equity in the lunchroom. Results were published online the the journal Nutrients as part of their special issue on School Meals and Children's Dietary Behaviour. The study was conducted by lead author Juliana Cohen and Deborah Olarte of the Center for Health Inclusion, Research and Practice, Christina Hecht, Ken Hecht, Monica Zuercher, Wendi Gosliner, and Lorrene Ritchie from the Nutrition Policy Institute, Michele Polacsek of the University of New England, Center for Excellence in Public Health, Margaret Read of Share Our Strength, No Kid Hungry, Anisha Patel of Stanford University Division of General Pediatrics, Marleke Schwartz of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, and Lindsey Turner of the College of Education, Boise State University. The study was funded by Share Our Strength and Full Plates Full Potential.