# Inequities in food access during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multilevel, mixed methods pilot study

## TL;DR

This study explores how food access changed during the pandemic in low-income and communities of color in the Bay Area, revealing that food insecurity was widespread and linked to broader social needs.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a mixed methods data model for rapidly assessing community needs during crises like the pandemic.

## Key findings

- 70% of participants reported food insecurity both before and after the pandemic began.
- Food-related reports were most common in areas with lower socioeconomic status and higher food insecurity.
- Food-insecure individuals emphasized needs related to safety, social equity, and resource programs.

## Abstract

Innovative data integration may serve to inform rapid, local responses to community needs. We conducted a mixed methods pilot study among communities of color or low-income in the San Francisco Bay Area amid the COVID-19 pandemic to assess a hypothesized data model to inform rapid response efforts.

Between 2020–2021, we collected (1) qualitative data through neighborhood reports submitted via Streetwyze, a mobile neighborhood mapping platform; (2) survey data on social and economic circumstances; and (3) geospatial data among residents of three counties. Qualitative data were coded and then integrated with survey and geospatial data. We used descriptive analyses to examine participants’ experiences with food in their neighborhoods.

Among 51 participants, seventy percent of participants reported food insecurity before and after the pandemic began in March 2020. Within neighborhood reports, food was the most frequently occurring sub-theme within the Goods and Resources parent themes (68% and 49% of reports, respectively). Security (88%), resource programs (88%), outdoor space (84%), and equity (83%) were more likely to be mentioned by participants who were food insecure compared to those who were not (12%, 12%, 16%, 17%, respectively). Mentions of food in neighborhood reports more often occurred in census tracts with lower socioeconomic status and more area-level food insecurity.

Individuals who were food insecure reported a constellation of needs beyond food, including needs related to safety and greater social equity. Our data model illustrates the potential for rapid assessment of community residents’ experiences to provide enhanced understanding of community-level needs and effective support in the face of changing circumstances.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25964-3.