Managing a gluten-free diet has always been challenging but insert a pandemic and, for many people with celiac disease, it has become even more difficult.
According to the USDA, 13.6% of households with children in the United States experienced food insecurity in 2019, which represents more than 5 million children. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution reports that this number has dramatically increased to more than 27.5% of households with children experiencing food insecurity. We anticipate this to be the same for households with celiac disease.
Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital are conducting a survey to evaluate access to gluten-free food prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, to establish the prevalence of food insecurity in households with celiac disease.
The survey is open to anyone with celiac disease following a gluten-free diet and takes about 3-5 minutes to complete. We ask that all households complete this survey so that we can understand how people in different circumstances are affected.
There is little published data on food insecurity in our celiac disease population.
By understanding how our community accesses food we will be able to better advocate for federal and state resources to help those who require a gluten-free diet.
We thank you for taking the time to complete this important survey.