Food insecurity in the Paris metropolitan area: prevalence and socio-territorial inequalities

Introduction - Food insecurity is a situation in which individuals’ access to safe, nutritious, and socially acceptable food is, for financial reasons, limited, inadequate, or uncertain. The aim of this study was to estimate its prevalence in the Paris metropolitan area and compare it with previously obtained estimates in France using other tools, as well as to identify the characteristics of food-insecure households. Methods - This study draws on data from the third wave of the "Health, Inequalities, and Social Disruptions" cohort (SIRS 2010). This cohort has surveyed 3,000 adults representative of the population of the Paris metropolitan area since 2005. Food insecurity was estimated using the HFSS scale, which distinguishes between food-secure households and those experiencing moderate and severe food insecurity. Since income level is a major determinant of food insecurity, we stratified the multilevel analyses into three income classes (≤€791; €791–€1,166; >€1,166 per household). Results—In 2010, approximately 94% of households living in the Paris metropolitan area were food secure. The remaining 6.3% (95% CI [5.0–8.0]) experienced food insecurity in the previous year, and approximately 2.5% of households living in the Paris metropolitan area experienced severe food insecurity. Depending on income level, various household-level characteristics were found to be associated with food insecurity. For households below the poverty line, having a child under 3 years of age in the household was negatively associated with experiencing food insecurity (OR=2.11, p=0.03). For households with higher incomes, household type appears to be very strongly associated with food insecurity. Conclusions - Food insecurity exists in France, and since it is a phenomenon intrinsically linked to income level, it is necessary to better understand the determinants that may increase the vulnerability of already fragile households. (R.A.)

Author(s): Martin Fernandez J, Caillavet F, Chauvin P

Publishing year: 2011

Pages: 515-21

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2011, n° 49-50, p. 515-21

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