From pandemic shock to inflation: a comparative analysis of household food security and coping strategies in Jamaica, before, during and post COVID-19

Background: Jamaica experienced successive shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic and the inflationary period that followed. This study compared household income, coping strategies and hunger indicators across 2018, 2020 and 2022, with 2018 used only as a contextual comparison rather than a stable baseline. Methods: A comparative secondary analysis was conducted using aggregate household data. The main comparison was between 2020 and 2022. Descriptive percentage and percentage-point changes were examined for income categories, coping responses and household hunger. Results: From 2020 to 2022, use of savings rose from 59.0% to 74.1%, borrowing from 24.6% to 46.0%, reduced meal quality from 16.0% to 31.0%, and begging from 5.5% to 28.0%; remittance use fell from 56.0% to 10.2%. No hunger declined from 58.3% to 32.9%, while moderate hunger increased from 13.5% to 41.8%. Combined moderate and severe hunger increased from 23.3% to 54.8%. Conclusions: Household vulnerability was greater in 2022 than in 2020. The findings indicate increasing reliance on erosive coping strategies and worsening hunger during the post-pandemic inflationary period. Further study is required to clarify causal pathways and guide targeted social protection programmes.