ABSTRACTS CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NUTRITION

COVID-19 and Nutrition

Early Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Livelihood in Vietnam

Alec Aaron,1 Yunhee Kang,1 Anurima Baidya,1 Jun Wang,1 Christabel Chan,2

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and Erica Wetzler3
1
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; 2 World Vision Asia Pacific Regional Office;
and 3 World Vision USA

Objectives: On April 1, 2020, Vietnam initiated a three-week lockdown to curb the spread
of COVID-19. Lockdowns like this have had severe economic and social repercussions that are
not experienced uniformly. This study evaluates whether households reporting to be severely
impacted differ from those reporting to be less affected in terms of household food availability,
affordability, and market access.
Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected as part of a World Vision Rapid Response
Assessment in Vietnam (n = 3431) in May 2020. Data on household demographics, employment,
food availability, affordability, and market access were collected. Households reporting a perceived
severe (full or severe) impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were compared to those reporting less
(moderate, slight, or no) impact using multivariable logistic regressions.
Results: 19.2% of respondents indicated that the pandemic had severely impacted their
livelihood. There was a higher percentage of females (56.4% vs. 45.6%; P < 0.001) and urban
residents (25.3% vs. 8.6%; P < 0.001) in the severely impacted group. The groups differed
significantly by type of employment prior to the pandemic, and a greater proportion of those
who were severely impacted reported decreased income (85.4% vs. 39.9%). Both groups reported
similar availabilities of staple food groups at the household-level, but the availability of green
vegetables was lower in the severely affected group (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.38, 1.00) than in the
less affected group. However, the adjusted odds ratios for local market access to hygiene items
(OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.39) and essential medicines (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.50) indicate
higher odds of accessibility for those more impacted relative to the less impacted group.
Conclusions: There were relatively few differences identified between the groups. While the
self-reported livelihood impact status generally aligned with a loss of income, the connection
between this designation and the indicators of household food availability, affordability, and
market access were not as strong. The self-determination of a severe economic impact may
represent a relative change in the household’s socioeconomic status from before the pandemic
that is not indicative of current vulnerability.
Funding Sources: None

Copyright © The Author(s) on behalf of the American

Society for Nutrition 2021.