Effects of COVID-19 Measures on the Changes in Food Consumption Patterns for Urban Low-Income Households in Kenya
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food chains worldwide. The Kenyan government-initiated measures to curb the spread of the novel disease. Some measures include lockdown, a ban on social gatherings, and the closure of institutions like school restaurants and eateries, potentially changing households' food consumption patterns. This study aimed to determine COVID-19 measures' effect on food consumption patterns for low-income urban households. The study was conducted in the Nakuru-west sub-county using a quantitative research design through a cross-sectional survey with a sample size of 246 household respondents. The study used the Multinomial Endog enous Switching Regression Model (MESRM) to control for possible bias resulting from non-observable traits. The results revealed that factors including the household food decision-maker age, changes in food prices, income changes, changes in the person in charge of food before COVID-19, fruits and vegetables shopping frequency, and the ban on social gatherings significantly affected the decrease in food consumption patterns. In contrast, money spent on food and movement restrictions significantly affected an increase in food consumption patterns. These findings suggest that the combined effects of these factors are likely to reduce household food consumption, impliying the need for subsidies on staple foods during crises, educational programs, effective communication of proposed measures, and the promotion of local production and sourcing to sustain the local economy.
