Comparison of Emergency Preparedness Practices between Food Assistance Program Participants and Non-Participants in the United States

Previous research has suggested many households are meeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 3-day emergency food and water storage recommendations. The impact of limited economic household resources on emergency preparedness practices related to food and water is uncertain. The purpos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-12, Vol.18 (24), p.12937
Main Authors: Fung, Gina J, Jefferies, Laura K, Call, Michelle A Lloyd, Eggett, Dennis L, Richards, Rickelle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Chi-square test
Civil Defense
Emergency management
Emergency preparedness
Family Characteristics
Family income
Food
Food Assistance
Food programs
Food stamps
Food Supply
Households
Humans
Impact analysis
Infant formulas
Low income groups
Nutrition
Polls & surveys
Poverty
Statistical analysis
Statistical tests
Statistics
United States
Water storage
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Summary:Previous research has suggested many households are meeting the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 3-day emergency food and water storage recommendations. The impact of limited economic household resources on emergency preparedness practices related to food and water is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to compare emergency preparedness practices in households participating in United States' food assistance programs with households not participating in these programs. A convenience sample of adults ( = 572) completed an online Qualtrics survey. Descriptive statistics, chi-square statistics, and independent -tests were used to measure differences between households participating in food assistance programs vs. non-participating households. Most households participating in food assistance programs felt prepared to provide household members with food and water during an emergency, which did not significantly differ from non-participating households. Households using food assistance programs had less accessible cash but had similar foods on-hand for an emergency compared to non-participating households. However, they more frequently reported having baby formula/food and less frequently reported having vitamin/mineral supplements compared to non-participating households. Food assistance programs may be effective in providing enough food and water to help low-income families be prepared for an emergency.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph182412937