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WAFOOD Brief 12 – Food Security and Food Assistance in the Wake of COVID-19: A 4th Survey of Washington State Households

Published February 16, 2023, this brief focuses on findings from WAFOOD4 (December 2022/January 2023) and examines changes in food insecurity and food assistance in Washington State households as Washingtonians continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and food prices rise.

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Initial Findings

A total of 5,052 Washington State residents responded to the WAFOOD4 survey. Among the WAFOOD4 sample, which over-sampled households with lower incomes, food insecurity remained high with nearly half of households experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity was higher in households with respondents identifying as non-Hispanic Black (47%) and Hispanic (34%), households with children (31%), households with incomes <$15,000K (70%), and renters (56%). Food assistance use was high across the state, with more than half of respondents (55%) using at least one type of food assistance in the past month. Food price increases were felt by everyone, but households with food insecurity reported greater worry about price increases, as well as worse overall financial outlooks and more financial stress. For households with food insecurity, groceries were reported as the most challenging bill to afford.

Explore More: Find all briefs and publications related to this study on the project page.

Publication Date: February 16, 2023

Author(s): The WAFOOD survey is a joint effort between the UW and WSU. The WAFOOD4 team comprises Jennifer J. Otten, Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences Program (NSP) and DEOHS at the UW School of Public Health (UWSPH); Marie L. Spiker Assistant Professor, NSP, Epidemiology, and DEOHS at UWSPH; Jane Dai, PhD Student, Health Systems and Population Health at UWSPH; Ashley S. Tseng, PhD Candidate, Epidemiology at UWSPH; James Buszkiewicz, Research Investigator, Epidemiology at University of Michigan Ann Arbor SPH; Shawna Beese, Assistant Professor of Rural Health Promotion at WSU Health Sciences; Sarah M. Collier, Assistant Professor, NSP and DEOHS at UWSPH; Alan Ismach, Research Coordinator, DEOHS at UWSPH.

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