Disability, Food Insecurity, and Nutritional Assistance in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: Interrogating the Role of Perceived Everyday Discrimination

Gabriele Ciciurkaite, Robyn Lewis Brown

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for nutritional assistance among many households, but prior research suggests that people with disabilities and other marginalized groups have been less likely to seek needed assistance due to perceived discriminatory experiences. We examined variation in the use of food assistance programs during the pandemic using data from a community survey of working-age adults with a sizeable subsample of people with disabilities in the Intermountain West region of the United States (N = 1,745). Study findings revealed that having a self-reported disability was associated with greater participation in food assistance programs, which was driven by higher rates of food insecurity. However, the mediated association between disability and nutritional assistance was reduced for food insecure adults who reported greater experiences of perceived daily discrimination. The implication is that perceived discriminatory experiences have diminished the benefits of health-promoting social services during the pandemic. Ways in which the findings extend previous literature on disability, social marginalization, and health disparities is also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)329-336
Number of pages8
JournalStigma and Health
Volume9
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Psychological Association

Funding

This work was supported by funding from the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University, journal paper number 9606. The authors have no known conflict of interest to disclose

FundersFunder number
Utah State University
Utah Agricultural Experiment Station

    Keywords

    • disability
    • everyday discrimination
    • food assistance programs
    • food insecurity

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
    • Psychiatry and Mental health
    • Clinical Psychology
    • Social Psychology
    • Health Policy

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