Abstract
This study examined the financial impacts of the early COVID-19 pandemic among households with children and compared outcomes based on disability status and urban influence. Survey data were collected in fall 2020 by the Urban Institute from mostly rural households participating in the Meals-to-You program, which delivered food to eligible households with children in the U.S. due to school closures. Relative risk contingency analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess financial hardship from the pandemic. Sampled households reporting at least one member with a disability had greater odds of food insecurity, delaying purchases, depleting savings, and difficulty paying utility and housing bills. Households with two or more disabilities had greater odds of increasing credit card debt and using long-term savings, net covariates. Metro households reported greater risk of financial hardship but findings mostly attenuated in the multivariate analysis. Research and response to disasters should consider disability, health, and rurality.
Recommended Citation
Brewer, Mackenzie, Jodien Johnson, Kyra Davidson, and Carson Mencken. 2024. "Disability, Urban Influence, and COVID-19 Financial Hardships: Findings from a Predominantly Rural Sample." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 39(1): Article 3. Available at: https://open.clemson.edu/jrss/vol39/iss1/3
