The spatial distribution of Indigenous food insecurity in New South Wales: Evidence from small-area estimation

Abstract

By combining data from the 2018–2019 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey and 2021 Census using small-area estimation techniques, this study estimates the prevalence of food insecurity among Indigenous households at the Statistical Area 2 level across New South Wales. Results from logistic regressions show a statistically significant associations between household food insecurity and income, financial resilience, household size, housing tenure, and remoteness. Notably, we found that access to financial resources is the primary diving factor of food insecurity instead of access to grocery stores. The research reveals that going without food is more prevalent in urban and regional areas than in remote and very remote areas.