Food insecurity, meal frequency and staple consumption of urban slum dwellers during the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh and its implications for social policy

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has changed food habits around the world. The objective of the current research is to distinguish the changing patterns of food consumption and food insecurity among slum dwellers. Using a multi-stage sampling design, the study purposively selected 12 slums in three zones (inner, middle, and outer) of the Rajshahi City Corporation area. From these, 361 household heads (out of 4010) were randomly sampled using Kothari’s sampling statistical formula at the 95% significance level. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured questionnaires from the selected slums. The data were analyzed using weighted average index, chi-square, correlation, and regression in SPSS. The study reveals that overall about 57.9% of the respondents are severely food insecure. Separate regression models for each zone, informed by bivariate correlations, identified significant indicators of food insecurity. Key factors across zones included lower education level, mental stress, perceptions of inadequate food, and the practice of saving food for emergencies, etc. Additionally, a significant temporal shift in meal consumption was observed (χ² = 12.417, df = 4, p = 0.015), with households consuming three meals dropping from 95% at Pre Covid-19 to 58.4% during lockdown, while recoveries were observed with 91.9% reporting three meals at post-lockdown. Furthermore, rice consumption decreased by 32.78% during this period. About 1.1% (inner), 4.2% (middle), and 3.3% (outer) of the respondents could provide adequate protein for their families during Covid-19, reflecting food insecurity. The study emphasizes the need for appropriate policies to improve food security for poor slum dwellers. (Non)government organizations should act to alleviate the food consumption issues faced by slum dwellers, as the majority of these respondents are unable to meet their fundamental needs for sustaining their lives.