Austerity and nutrition: A Qualitative Exploration of the social determinants of food insecurity and its nutritional impact amongst...

...women and children in the North East of England.

Background
Increasing use of food aid in the UK suggests that food insecurity is a prominent public
health concern. A rise in cases of malnutrition coincides with the sharp rise in foodbanks.
This is worrying as the most vulnerable group are women and their children, potentially
resulting in serious implications for the health and wellbeing not only of the current
generation but also of future generations. In recent years, malnutrition has been
understudied by social scientists and equally, the field of nutrition has only lately begun to
take a social determinants perspective. My research will expand this emerging
interdisciplinary research base.
Aim
To explore the social determinants of food insecurity in the North East of England among
mothers both in a transitory state and chronic state of food insecurity and its impact on diet
and nutrition amongst new mothers and in the first 1000 days of life (0-2 years), also to
understand how women construct, understand and cope with food insecurity.
Methods
This research will use a qualitative approach through ethnography and longitudinal
qualitative interviewing, using observations from inside foodbanks, focus groups with staff
and semi-structured interviews with a particular focus on pregnant women and women with
children aged 0-2 years old.
Outputs/Impact
The research will inform the development of an interdisciplinary understanding of the
effects of austerity and food insecurity on maternal and child nutrition and health in the UK.