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Cited by 58Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHomelessness and Social IssuesIncome, Poverty, and Inequality

Homeownership status and risk of food insecurity: examining the role of housing debt, housing expenditure and housing asset using a cross-sectional population-based survey of Canadian households

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Fafard St-Germain, Andrée-Anne, Tarasuk, Valerie·2020·International Journal for Equity in Health
DOI 10.1186/s12939-019-1114-zPMC PMC6945525
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Abstract

Background: Household food insecurity is a potent marker of material deprivation with adverse health consequences. Studies have repeatedly found a strong, independent relationship between owning a home and lower vulnerability to food insecurity in Canada and elsewhere, but the reasons for this relationship are poorly understood. We aimed to examine the influence of housing asset, housing debt and housing expenditure on the relationship between homeownership status and food insecurity in Canada. Methods: Cross-sectional data on food insecurity, housing tenure and expenditures, home value, income and sociodemographic characteristics were derived from the 2010 Survey of Household Spending, a population-based survey. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to estimate odds ratios of food insecurity among households of all incomes (n = 10,815) and those with lower incomes (n = 5547). Results: Food insecurity prevalence was highest among market renters (28.5%), followed by homeowners with a mortgage (11.6%) and mortgage-free homeowners (4.3%). Homeowners with a mortgage (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.39–0.68) and those without a mortgage (OR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.16–0.35) had substantially lower adjusted odds of food insecurity than market renters, and accounting for the burden of housing cost had minimal impact on the association. Mortgage-free homeowners had lower adjusted odds ratios of food insecurity compared to homeowners with a mortgage, but differences in the burden of housing cost fully accounted for the association. When stratifying homeowners based on presence of mortgage and housing asset level, the adjusted odds ratios of food insecurity for market renters were not significant when compared to mortgage holders with low housing asset. Mortgage-free owners with higher housing asset were least vulnerable to food insecurity (adjusted OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.11–0.27). Conclusions: Substantial disparities in food insecurity exist between households with different homeownership status and housing asset level. Housing policies that support homeownership while ensuring affordable mortgages may be important to mitigate food insecurity, but policy actions are required to address renters’ high vulnerability to food insecurity.

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  • Food insecurity is most prevalent among households with inadequate and insecure incomes and few assets.

    “Food insecurity is most prevalent among households with inadequate and insecure incomes and few assets [2–6]”

    From Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of food insecurity among post-secondary students and non-students of similar age in Canada (2023) · cites this paper as [3]

    The Results report lower average incomes among food-insecure households and higher food-insecurity prevalence among homeowners with low-value housing assets. The Discussion links food insecurity to the amount and stability of income. The study examines housing assets, however, not assets generally, and does not establish that food insecurity is most prevalent among households with few assets of any kind. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [28]Hulchanski JD Young R Leuprecht C What factors shape Canadian housing policy? The intergovernmental role in Canada's housing system Canada: the state of the federation 2004 - municipal-Federal-Provincial relation in Canada 2006 Kingston McGill-Queen's University Press 221 247
  2. [49]Crawford A Meh C Zhou J The residential mortgage market in Canada: a primer (financial system review) 2013 Ottawa Bank of Canada

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Authors
Fafard St-Germain, A.-A., & Tarasuk, V.
Affiliations
University of Toronto (CA)
ORCID
Venue
International Journal for Equity in Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-01-06
Volume
19
Issue
1
Pages
5-5
ISSN
1475-9276 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12939-019-1114-z
PMC
PMC6945525
OpenAlex
W2999125375
Cited by
58
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 2
FWCI
6.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal for Equity in Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Mspace (University of Manitoba) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FRN: 115208)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Homelessness and Social Issues
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Income, Poverty, and Inequality
Keywords
food insecurity, homeownership, housing debt, mortgage lending, housing costs, housing tenure, material deprivation, housing affordability, housing policy, Canadian households
MeSH terms
Canada, Cross-Sectional Studies, Family Characteristics, Food Supply, Housing, Humans, Ownership, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk

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