Table 4.
Aspects of food insecurity experienced by the study participants and coping mechanisms adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic
| North Africa | West Africa | East Africa | Southern Africa | Western Europe | North America | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (n) | 136 | 251 | 146 | 83 | 172 | 105 | 136 | 1029 |
| Aspects of food insecurity | ||||||||
| Difficulty accessing drinking water (%) | 1·47 | 11·6 | 19·9 | 8·43 | 1·16 | 4·76 | 14·0 | 9·04 |
| Lesser variety of food (%) | 19·1 | 41·0 | 63·7 | 61·5 | 56·4 | 74·3 | 52·2 | 50·4 |
| Food of less quality (%) | 10·3 | 29·1 | 51·4 | 26·5 | 20·9 | 38·1 | 37·5 | 30·2 |
| Lesser quantity of food (%) | 8·82 | 35·9 | 61·6 | 51·8 | 40·7 | 49·5 | 33·8 | 39·2 |
| Subject to food rationing (%) | 6·62 | 14·3 | 19·2 | 27·7 | 7·56 | 7·62 | 16·9 | 13·6 |
| Food less accessible (%) | 16·2 | 23·9 | 39·0 | 15·7 | 12·8 | 25·7 | 20·6 | 22·3 |
| Not having any food all day (%) | 5·47 | 9·56 | 24·7 | 4·82 | 2·33 | 9·52 | 11·0 | 9·79 |
| Eating less frequently (%) | 19·5 | 23·1 | 45·9 | 31·3 | 11·1 | 29·5 | 26·5 | 25·7 |
| Coping mechanisms | ||||||||
| Relying on less preferred food (%) | 28·9 | 40·2 | 67·1 | 67·5 | 43·6 | 65·7 | 48·5 | 49·2 |
| Borrowing food (%) | 12·5 | 14·3 | 32·9 | 16·9 | 13·4 | 12·4 | 17·7 | 17·0 |
| Food credit (%) | 10·9 | 13·9 | 36·3 | 18·1 | 4·65 | 19·1 | 14·7 | 16·2 |
| Reducing portion sizes (%) | 19·5 | 28·3 | 50·7 | 34·9 | 19·8 | 31·4 | 31·6 | 30·3 |
| Adults restricting themselves (%) | 7·03 | 23·1 | 42·5 | 18·1 | 5·81 | 10·5 | 19·1 | 18·7 |
| Reducing number of meals (%) | 19·5 | 23·1 | 45·9 | 31·3 | 11·1 | 29·5 | 26·5 | 25·7 |
| Food aid (%) | 3·91 | 8·76 | 18·5 | 6·02 | 4·65 | 9·52 | 5·88 | 8·33 |