Hostname: page-component-5cf477f64f-fcbfl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-01T17:54:25.614Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Digital Strategies to Improve Food Assistance in Disasters: A Scoping Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2021

Nina M. Martin Open the ORCID record for Nina M. Martin [Opens in a new window] ,
Samantha M. Sundermeir ,
Daniel J. Barnett ,
Ellen J. I. van Dongen ,
Lori Rosman ,
Andrew J. Rosenblum Open the ORCID record for Andrew J. Rosenblum [Opens in a new window]  and
Joel Gittelsohn
Nina M. Martin*
Affiliation:
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
Samantha M. Sundermeir
Affiliation:
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
Daniel J. Barnett
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
Ellen J. I. van Dongen
Affiliation:
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
Lori Rosman
Affiliation:
Informationist Services, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Andrew J. Rosenblum
Affiliation:
Public Health Studies, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Joel Gittelsohn
Affiliation:
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
*
Corresponding author: Nina M. Martin, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Modern digital strategies, including Internet of Things, machine learning, and mobile applications, have revolutionized situational awareness during disaster management. Despite their importance, no review of digital strategies to support emergency food security efforts has been conducted. This scoping review fills that gap.

Methods:

Keywords were defined within the concepts of food assistance, digital technology, and disasters. After the database searches, PRISMA guidelines were followed to perform a partnered, 2-round scoping literature review.

Results:

The search identified 3201 articles, and 26 articles met criteria and were included in the analysis. The data types used to describe the tools were text/opinion (42.3%), qualitative (23.1%), system architecture (19.2%), quantitative and qualitative (11.5 %), and quantitative (3.8%). The tools’ main functions were Resource Allocation (41.7%), Data Collection and Management (33%), Interagency Communications (15.4 %), Beneficiary Communications (11.5%), and Fundraising (7.7%). The platforms used to achieve these goals were Mobile Application (36%), Internet of Things (20%), Website (20%), and Mobile Survey (8%); 92% covered the disaster response phase.

Conclusions:

Digital tools for planning, situational awareness, client choice, and recovery are needed to support emergency food assistance, but there is a lack of these tools and research on their effectiveness across all disaster phases.

Keywords

digital applicationsdigital technologydisastersfood assistancefood security
Type
Systematic Review
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e40
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Kovács, G, Spens, KM. Humanitarian logistics in disaster relief operations. Jahre M, Persson G, eds. Int J Phys Distrib Logist Manag. 2007;37(2):99-114. doi: 10.1108/09600030710734820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. World disasters report 2020. 2021. https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/world-disaster-report-2020/. Accessed January 17, 2021.Google Scholar
Fitzpatrick, KM, Willis, DE, Spialek, ML, English, E. Food insecurity in the post-Hurricane Harvey setting: risks and resources in the midst of uncertainty. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(22). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17228424.Google ScholarPubMed
Clay, LA, Ross, AD. Factors associated with food insecurity following Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(3). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17030762.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanquist, TF, Brisbois, BR. Attention and situational awareness in first responder operations guidance for the design and use of wearable and mobile technologies. 2016. https://nwrtc.pnnl.gov/PDFs/RTAs/RTA_Situational_Awareness.pdf. Accessed January 17, 2021.Google Scholar
Leung, CW, Wolfson, JA. Food insecurity among older adults: 10-Year national trends and associations with diet quality. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021;epub. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16971.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Niles, MT, Bertmann, F, Belarmino, EH, et al. The early food insecurity impacts of COVID-19. Nutrients. 2020;12(7). doi: 10.3390/nu12072096.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hernandez, DC, Holtzclaw, LE. Commentary: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession on food insecurity: short- and long-term recommendations to assist families and communities. Fam Community Health. 2021;epub. doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dzhanova, Y. Food banks are closing and losing their workforce because of the coronavirus. CNBC. April 28, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/coronavirus-food-banks-are-closing-and-losing-their-workforce.html. Accessed January 17, 2021.Google Scholar
Kulish, N. Food banks are overrun, as coronavirus surges demand. The New York Times. April 8, 2020:1. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/business/economy/coronavirus-food-banks.html. Accessed January 17, 2021.Google Scholar
Morelli, R, Murphy, E, Lanerolle, TD. An open source mobile app for assisting health and agricultural aid in Haiti. 2011 IEEE Glob Humanit Technol Conf GHTC 2011. 2011;epub:102-107. doi: 10.1109/GHTC.2011.63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLoughlin, GM, Fleischhacker, S, Hecht, AA, et al. Feeding students during COVID-19—related school closures: a nationwide assessment of initial responses. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020;52(12):1120-1130. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2020.09.018.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knorr, D, Khoo, C-SH. COVID-19 and food: challenges and research needs. Front Nutr. 2020;7. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.598913.Google ScholarPubMed
Freeman, JD, Blacker, B, Hatt, G, et al. Use of big data and information and communications technology in disasters: an integrative review. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2019;13(2):353-367. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2018.73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kane, EM, Scheulen, JJ, Püttgen, A, et al. Use of systems engineering to design a hospital command center. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2019;45(5):370-379. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2018.11.006.Google ScholarPubMed
Ebbeling, LG, Goralnick, E, Bivens, MJ, et al. A comparison of command center activations versus disaster drills at three institutions from 2013 to 2015. Am J Disaster Med. 2016;11(1):33-42. doi: 10.5055/ajdm.2016.0222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hayashi, H, Tokoro, M, Takahashi, K, Minazuki, A. Development of mobile application for disaster prevention. Int J Recent Technol Eng. 2019;7(6C2):609-614.Google Scholar
Covidence. Better systematic review management. (n.d.). https://www.covidence.org/. Accessed April 1, 2021.Google Scholar
Barbour, L, Palermo, C, Kleve, S, Booth, S. Australia’s charitable food sector – an approach to support, connect and ultimately translate research into emergency food relief practice. Rev Espanola Nutr Humana Diet. 2016;20:552.Google Scholar
Carvalho, J, Sousa, RD. Exploring the case of a local food bank to understand information technology use in government information networks. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance. New York: ACM Press; 2020:564-567. doi: 10.1145/3428502.3428587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cosgrove, E. How emergency food providers are developing tech to help them give more. AgFunderNews. 2017. https://agfundernews.com/emergency-food-providers-tech.html. Accessed January 17, 2021.Google Scholar
Enenkel, M, See, L, Karner, M, et al. Food security monitoring via mobile data collection and remote sensing: results from the Central African Republic. PLoS One. 2015;10(11):e0142030. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142030.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feeding America. Feeding America expands pioneering MealConnect platform in response to COVID-19 crisis. Feeding America. June 9, 2020. https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/press-room/feeding-america-expands-pioneering-mealconnect. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Feeding America. Need help? Find food. (n.d.). https://www.feedingamerica.org/need-help-find-food. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Fougere, D. App connects people in need of food with nearby pantries and soup kitchens. NY1. March 26, 2020. https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/coronavirus/2020/03/26/app-connects-people-in-need-of-food-with-nearby-pantries-and-soup-kitchens. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Gondwe, G. Empowering communities for better emergency response using real-time data. UNICEF. September 4, 2020. https://www.unicef.org/malawi/stories/empowering-communities-better-emergency-response-using-real-time-data. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Guntha, R, Rao, SN, Shivdas, A. Lessons learned from deploying crowdsourced technology for disaster relief during Kerala floods. Procedia Computer Science; 2020(171):2410-2419. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2020.04.313.Google Scholar
Hingle, MD, Shanks, CB, Parks, C, et al. Examining equitable online federal food assistance during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): a case study in 2 regions. Curr Dev Nutr. 2020;4(10):nzaa154. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzaa154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jamil, M, Lessy, MR. Web application to monitor logistics distribution of disaster relief using the CodeIgniter framework. IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 2018:325. doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/325/1/012015.Google Scholar
Kester, Q-A. An integrated RoIP communication network for effective collaboration during emergency and disaster management. In: Bissyande TF, Sie O, eds. e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries. Cham, Springer International; 2018:174-185. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-66742-3_17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manzoor, U, Zubair, M, Batool, K. Using multi-agent systems to solve food distribution problem in disaster area. IEEE Computer Society; 2013:684-689. doi: 10.1109/ICITST.2013.6750290.Google Scholar
Morrow, N, Mock, N, Bauer, JM, Browning, J. Knowing just in time: use cases for mobile surveys in the humanitarian world. Procedia Eng. 2016;159:210-216. doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munro, R. Crowdsourced translation for emergency response in Haiti: the global collaboration of local knowledge. 9th Biennial Conference of the Association for Machine Translation in the Americas, AMTA 2010; Denver, CO; October 31, 2010-November 4, 2010. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84857515033&partnerID=40&md5=73a34d46b57c22d8eff01300c6458c16. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Ozguven, EE, Ozbay, K. An RFID-based inventory management framework for emergency relief operations. Transp Res Part C Emerg Technol. 2015;57:166-187. doi: 10.1016/j.trc.2015.06.021.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rapose, S. With continued support from the United States, WFP assists thousands of vulnerable families in Iraq. World Food Program USA. November 30, 2020. https://www.wfpusa.org/news-release/wfp-usaid-assist-thousands-of-families-in-iraq/. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Schwab, AJM, Omana, JEC, Roazol, KV, et al. ISagip: a crowdsource disaster relief and monitoring application framework. 2017 International Conference on Soft Computing, Intelligent System and Information Technology (ICSIIT); 2017:327-330. doi: 10.1109/ICSIIT.2017.33.Google Scholar
Sithole, B, Silva, SG, Kavelj, M. Supply chain optimization: enhancing end-to-end visibility. Procedia Engineering 2016(159):12-18. doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.058.Google Scholar
Stablein, K. When retail, humanitarian assistance and digital technology meet. World Food Program USA. June 11, 2019. https://wfpusa.org/articles/when-retail-humanitarian-assistance-and-digital-technology-meet/. Accessed January 17, 2021.Google Scholar
Wen, H, Zhao, J. Optimization of food emergency logistics dynamic distribution system based on internet of things. International Conference of Logistics Engineering and Management (ICLEM). 2010, October 8-10, Chengdu, China; 2010:2244-2251. doi: 10.1061/41139(387)312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wister, MA, Pancardo, P, Acosta, FD, et al. Experiences with RFID technology to manage information during natural disasters. 2015 9th International Conference on Innovative Mobile and Internet Services in Ubiquitous Computing; 2015:370-375. doi: 10.1109/IMIS.2015.57.Google Scholar
ShareTheMeal. The world’s first app against global hunger. (n.d.). https://sharethemeal.org/en/values. Accessed January 9, 2021.Google Scholar
Xing, L, Zhang, B, Wu, Q, Xie, L. Research of an embedded IOT gateway applied to post-earthquake rescue. Int J Online Eng. 2015;11(9):52-55. doi: 10.3991/ijoe.v11i9.5065.Google Scholar
World Food Program USA. WFP’s Share The Meal app fundraises for school children affected by El Niño drought in Malawi. August 3, 2016. https://www.wfpusa.org/news-release/wfps-share-the-meal-app-fundraises-for-school-children-affected-by-el-nino-drought-in-malawi/. Accessed December 29, 2020.Google Scholar
Ranger, S. What is the IoT? Everything you need to know about the Internet of Things right now. ZDNet. February 3, 2020. https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/. Accessed April 5, 2021.Google Scholar
Remley, D, Kaiser, M, Osso, T. A case study of promoting nutrition and long-term food security through choice pantry development. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2013;8:324-336. doi: 10.1080/19320248.2013.819475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Remley, DT, Zubieta, AC, Lambea, MC, et al. Spanish-and English-speaking client perceptions of choice food pantries. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2010;5(1):120-128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burgess, M. What is the Internet of Things? WIRED explains. Wired UK. February 16, 2018. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/internet-of-things-what-is-explained-iot. Accessed April 5, 2021.Google Scholar
Ray, PP, Mukherjee, M, Shu, L. Internet of Things for disaster management: state-of-the-art and prospects. IEEE Access. 2017;5:18818-18835. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2017.2752174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar