Examining Changes in Food Security, Perceived Stress, and Dietary Intake in a Cohort of Low-Wage Workers Experiencing an Increase in Hourly Wage

Abstract

Objective To determine whether an increase in hourly wages was associated with changes in food security and perceived stress among low-wage workers. We also determined whether changes in food security and stress were associated with changes in diet. Setting Wages is a prospective cohort study following 974 low-wage workers in Minneapolis, MN, where an ordinance is incrementally increasing minimum wage to US$15/hr from 2018 to 2022, and a comparison community with no minimum wage ordinance (Raleigh, NC). Interaction models were estimated using generalized estimating equations. Participants Analyses used two waves of data (2018 [baseline], 2019) and included 219 and 321 low-wage workers in Minneapolis and Raleigh (respectively). Results Average hourly wages increased from US$9.77 (SD US$1.69) to US$11.67 (SD US$4.02). Changes in wages were not associated with changes in food security (odds ratio = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.89, 1.23], p = .57) or stress (β = −0.01, 95% CI [−0.04, 0.03], p = .70) after 1 year of policy implementation. Changes in food security were not associated with changes in diet. However, we found significant changes in the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake across time by levels of stress, with decreased intake from Wave 1 to 2 at low levels of stress, and increased intake at high levels of stress (incidence rate ratio = 1.17, 95% CI [1.05, 1.31], p = .01). Conclusions Changes in wages were not associated with changes in food security or stress in a sample of low-wage workers. Future research should examine whether full implementation of a minimum wage increase is associated with changes in these outcomes.