Holiday Hunger and Family Stress: the experience of household food insecurity during the school summer holidays

Abstract

The school summer holidays can be a challenging period for many parents, as they are challenged with the pressures of covering household expenses and providing additional food for their children, when free school meals are unavailable. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between food insecurity during the summer months, and various stressors within households of UK parents residing in North-central England, who had school-age children. In this observational study, the perceptions and experiences of parents (n= 60) were explored pre and post summer holiday, via an online questionnaire. Among the sample, 60% of households reported experiencing some level of food insecurity (FI), with corresponding higher scores on the comprehensive 36-point stress scale. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between irregular income and both household food insecurity (HFI) and parental stress. These findings underscore the significance of economic factors as substantial predictors of household food insecurity. Initiatives aimed at alleviating economic hardship would not only diminish food insecurity during the school summer holidays but also have the potential to enhance the physical and mental health and well-being of families.