COVID-19, food insecurity, and diet-related diseases

Can syndemic theory inform effective responses? A case study

Authors

  • J. Robin Moon City University of New York https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1793-936X
  • Craig Willingham City University of New York
  • Shqipe Gjevukaj Bronx Partners for Healthy Communities
  • Nicholas Freudenberg City University of New York

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.104.028

Keywords:

Syndemic, Food Insecurity, Diet-related Diseases, COVID-19, Pandemic, Community Mobilization, Municipal Government, Food System Change

Abstract

New York City was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the immediate health burden was devastating, we posit that its long-term impact will be even greater, because the rapid spread of COVID-19 both depended on and exacerbated other deep-seated inequities related to food and broader living conditions. Using the Bronx as a case study, we explore the intersection of the pandemic with two other persistent problems: food insecurity and diet-related diseases, a constellation we label the COVID-Food Syndemic. Syndemic theory focuses on the common causes and biological and social interactions between two or more health problems. We hypothesize that with its focus on the common social causes of ill health, this approach can inform and strengthen the synergies between community-based, activist-driven solutions and municipal government responses, thus reducing the burden of ill health in the Bronx. We suggest that combining these two approaches can more fully mobilize the social changes that are needed in the food system and beyond to interrupt the fundamental drivers of this syndemic and capitalize on the respective strengths of government, civil society, and activists.

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Author Biographies

J. Robin Moon, City University of New York

Adjunct Associate Professor, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Craig Willingham, City University of New York

Deputy Director, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Shqipe Gjevukaj, Bronx Partners for Healthy Communities

Project Manager

Nicholas Freudenberg, City University of New York

Distinguished Professor and Director, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

Food as a Tool for Social Change, sponsored by Falk College, Syracuse University

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Published

2021-09-16

How to Cite

Moon, J. R., Willingham, C., Gjevukaj, S., & Freudenberg, N. (2021). COVID-19, food insecurity, and diet-related diseases: Can syndemic theory inform effective responses? A case study. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(4), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.104.028

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 4 (2021): Food as a Tool for Social Change

Section

Papers on Food as a Tool for Social Change

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2021 J. Robin Moon, Craig Willingham, Shqipe Gjevukaj, Nicholas Freudenberg

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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