Who is vulnerable to household food insecurity and what does this mean for policy and practice?

This webinar is part 2 of a 3-part series in collaboration with Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC). It discusses the predictors of household food insecurity and advocacy initiatives by Dietitians of Canada.

 

In this webinar, we delve into the question of what drives vulnerability to household food insecurity in Canada. Drawing on the wealth of Canadian data collected during more than a decade of food insecurity monitoring, we examine the social and economic circumstances of food insecure households and look at what has been found to underpin changes in household food insecurity status over time.

We also discuss the relationship between food insecurity and health, considering the evidence of a bidirectional relationship for some conditions. The interpretation of these findings by Dietitians of Canada in their recent Position Statement and Recommendations – Addressing Household Food Insecurity in Canada are also shared as a platform for policy and practice recommendations.

This webinar is part 2 of a 3-part series in collaboration with Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC). See part 1, Food Insecurity Measurement in Canada: Interpreting the Statistics, and part 3, How does food insecurity relate to health and what are the implications for health care providers?

Presenters:
Valerie Tarasuk, PhD — Professor, University of Toronto
Lynn McIntyre, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, FCAHS — Professor Emerita, University of Calgary
Pat Vanderkooy, MSc, RD — Public Affairs Manager, Dietitians of Canada

Resources:

Webinar Slides [PDF]

Addressing Household Food Insecurity in Canada: Position Statement and Recommendations. Dietitians of Canada. 2016

Research publications mentioned:

Li N, Dachner N, Tarasuk V. The impact of changes in social policies on household food insecurity in British Columbia, 2005–2012. Preventive Medicine. 2016;93:151-8.

Loopstra R, Tarasuk V. Severity of household food insecurity is sensitive to change in household income and employment status among low-income families. The Journal of nutrition. 2013;143(8):1316-23.

McIntyre L, Bartoo AC, Emery JH. When working is not enough: food insecurity in the Canadian labour force. Public health nutrition. 2014;17(01):49-57.

McIntyre L, Dutton DJ, Kwok C, Emery JH. Reduction of Food Insecurity among Low-Income Canadian Seniors as a Likely Impact of a Guaranteed Annual Income. Canadian Public Policy. 2016;42(3):274-86.

Fafard St-Germain AA, Tarasuk V. High vulnerability to household food insecurity in a sample of Canadian renter households in government-subsidized housing. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2017; 108(2)

Ionescu-Ittu R, Glymour MM, Kaufman JS. A difference-in-differences approach to estimate the effect of income-supplementation on food insecurity. Preventive medicine. 2015;70:108-16.

Loopstra R, Dachner N, Tarasuk V. An exploration of the unprecedented decline in the prevalence of household food insecurity in Newfoundland and Labrador, 2007–2012. Canadian Public Policy. 2015;41(3):191-206.

McIntyre L, Pow J, Emery JH. A path analysis of recurrently food-insecure Canadians discerns employment, income, and negative health effects. Journal of Poverty. 2015 Jan 2;19(1):71-87.

McIntyre L, Wu X, Fleisch VC, Emery JH. Homeowner versus non-homeowner differences in household food insecurity in Canada. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. 2016;31(2):349-66.