Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Food Insecurity and Housing Insecurity Relationship in a Population-Based Sample of Mothers of Young Children

Background and Purpose: Studies have shown a link between food insecurity and housing problems, including trouble paying rent. Women and households of color are at increased risk of these food and housing access issues which can occur at any income level. However, literature to date has examined the food and housing insecurity relationship in primarily low-income samples and additional evidence is needed to better understand racial and ethnic disparities in the food and housing insecurity relationship.

We extend the current line of research by utilizing a population-based sample of mothers of young children and stratifying the sample by race/ethnicity to assess the stability of food insecurity over time and its effect on housing insecurity. Further, we created a global index of housing insecurity to capture an array of housing problems and tested whether perceived neighborhood social cohesion serves as a protective factor in the food insecurity and housing insecurity relationship.

Methods: We analyzed data from a socioeconomically representative sample of mothers of young children in the state of California. The sample consisted of 2,868 women at two time points: Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (2003-2007) and the follow-up the Geographic Research on Wellbeing survey (2012-2013). Women were categorized as food insecure both times; became food insecure; became food secure; and food secure both times. We constructed a series of linear regression models for housing insecurity: ‘crude’ models regressing each variable separately; a ‘sociodemographic’ model regressing age, race/ethnicity, marital status, number of children in the household, educational attainment, income, and food insecurity status on housing insecurity; a ‘mediation’ model adding social cohesion to the sociodemographic model; and a mediation model for each racial/ethnic group.

Results: African American and Latina immigrants had the highest levels of housing insecurity at each food insecurity status level. Higher social cohesion was associated with lower risk of housing insecurity, and all groups of food insecurity status had higher risk of housing insecurity in a gradient pattern compared with those who were food secure both times. There was some evidence that social cohesion mediated the racial/ethnic, socioeconomic and food insecurity status relationships with housing insecurity, with Black women’s housing insecurity risk becoming statistically similar to White women. Social cohesion and food insecurity status were significantly associated with housing insecurity for all racial/ethnic groups except Asian or Pacific Islanders.

Conclusions and Implications: The small mediational effect of perceived neighborhood social cohesion on food/housing insecurity relationship across groups suggests that explanatory variables beyond social and relational factors should also be considered. This might include factors related to the neighborhood and physical food environment that better represent the structural inequalities in food and housing access that disproportionately affect communities of color. Because the data in the study spanned the Great Recession, we suggest these effects and implications may mirror the economic upheaval due to the pandemic. Efforts to reduce material hardships should include policy efforts that offer tangible supports for women and their families, such as such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, Children (WIC) program.