Publications

BACKGROUND: There is a need for empirical evidence on changes in employment and food consumption during pandemic situations in households belonging to the  informal economy. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in food insecurity, household  diet diversity, and employment in agriculture during the pre-COVID-19 (2019-early  2020) and COVID-19 pandemic (September 2021) periods. METHODS: A total of 1632  households from a face-to-face pre-COVID-19 survey and 621 of those followed up  by a telephonic survey during COVID-19 in Bihar, India, were included in the  analyses. Household food insecurity, household diet diversity score (HDDS), and  employment change (agriculture or nonagriculture) were assessed during both  periods. Food insecurity and diet diversity in the 2 periods were examined by  logistic regression. A change in the odds of being food insecure or having low  HDDS was examined as an interaction between time and employment status. RESULTS:  Prevalence of food insecurity increased from 21% to 55%, and low diet diversity  increased from 47% to 69% in households assessed in both surveys. Employment  status was not associated with food insecurity or low HDDS during the baseline  survey. However, during the pandemic, ∼30% of households changed their employment  from agriculture to nonagriculture and were more likely to be food insecure  (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1. 78-4.32) and  have low HDDS (aOR: 1.66; 95%CI: 1.05-2.61), than those who remained in  agriculture. Similarly, those who retained nonagricultural employment during the  pandemic were more likely to be food insecure (aOR: 2.23; 95%CI: 1.45-3.43) and  have low HDDS (aOR: 1.73; 95%CI: 1.11-2.70), compared to those who remained in  agriculture. In propensity score-adjusted interaction analysis of time and  employment, food insecurity and low HDDS remained significantly associated with  nonagricultural employment during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced support to  rural households in agricultural occupations could buffer them from unexpected  crises, which may also protect their nutritional intake.