Hunger in French Guiana's Vulnerable Urban Neighborhoods: A Neglected Consequence of COVID-19.

This article focuses on food insecurity in vulnerable urban neighborhoods of French Guiana during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a multicenter cross-sectional survey conducted in February 2021. The study found that 66.4% of surveyed households experienced moderate to severe hunger in the preceding month, with key risk factors including lack of residence permits among adults, absence of social support, inadequate housing conditions (such as single-room dwellings and lack of running water), and no access to urban gardens. Coping strategies commonly involved reducing meal frequency and portion sizes, while nutritional assessments indicated concerns about child malnutrition. The findings highlight significant food insecurity in a socioeconomically disadvantaged population within a relatively wealthy French territory, underscoring the need for targeted interventions addressing housing, social networks, and local food production.