Food insecurity in households of children with ASD in COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative analysis with the Household Pulse Survey data using stabilized inverse probability treatment weights.
Arun Karpur, Vijay Vasudevan, Thomas W Frazier and 1 others
PMID 35459604WHAT IT FOUND
Households of children with autism were nearly four times more likely to face very low food security during the pandemic compared to the general population.
They relied more on school meals and faced greater barriers to delivery and grocery shopping than other families.
Key findings
01Households of children with autism were nearly four times more likely to be very low food secure compared to the general population during the pandemic.
02A greater proportion of households of children with autism reported being afraid to go out to buy food or unable to get groceries delivered compared to the general population.
03A higher proportion of households of children with autism obtained free food from schools compared to the general population.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The autism group was a self-selected convenience sample, which may not represent all families of children with autism. The two groups were measured using different methods (a modified multi-item scale versus a single question), which could affect comparability. The study could not control for all factors known to influence food insecurity, such as neighborhood support or family cohesion. The data reflects the pandemic period, and current food security levels may differ as public health emergencies end.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest, and no external funding was received for this research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the high rate of food insecurity in this group is caused solely by the inability to afford food. The data shows that barriers to access, such as fear of going out and lack of delivery options, were significantly more common in households of children with autism than in the general population.