The Last Resort? Exploring the impact living with food insecurity has on relationships with family and friends

目的：这项研究旨在探索日常生活中的粮食贫困现实及其对家庭和朋友关系的影响。合理在英国，在过去十年里，在紧缩政策的背景下，粮食不安全状况日益加剧。独立食品援助网络地图项目的最新数据估计，英国目前至少有2000家食品银行在运营(Ifan，2017)。在特伦特河畔斯托克的一项关于食物贫困的人种学研究中，参与者谈到了依靠家人和朋友获得食物礼物和现金贷款。使用食物银行通常是最后的手段，然而这种对人际关系的依赖的影响仍然未知。来自英国最大的国家粮食不安全研究项目的数据显示，超过78%的家庭严重缺乏粮食安全(Loopstra&Lalor，2017)。在负担不起孩子足够饮食的家庭中，93%的家庭至少有一个成年人经常节俭自己的食物来养活孩子(Caplan，2016)。另一个令人担忧的原因是英国脱欧后食品价格可能上涨的情况下，英国脱欧对该国“食品贫困”的影响(Lang等人，2017)。在如何管理家庭内部的食品贫困及其对人际关系的影响方面，文献中存在一个空白。为了理解家庭支持，芬奇和梅森(1993)研究了家庭支持是如何在家庭内部协商的，以及它在多大程度上是基于责任感和义务的。霍尔(2016)的民族志研究聚焦于在最近的经济衰退中挣扎度日的家庭的日常经历，强调家庭关系对于塑造我们对人们在危机时期如何管理的理解至关重要。关键研究问题这项研究将调查三个广泛的领域，包括以下关键研究问题：1)家庭内部的食物不安全实际上是如何管理的，以及对家庭和朋友关系的影响？2)支持的形式从家人和朋友那里寻求什么样的帮助/支持，以及这种支持是如何协商的？3)食物不安全如何影响人们如何将自己视为父母，这对亲子关系有什么影响？方法论将使用人种学设计来探索和捕捉经历食物贫困的人们的日常生活现实。由于有必要与参与者建立关系，民族志被认为是一种有效的方法，因为它能够对人们的经历产生丰富的、全面的见解(霍尔，2011年和2016年)。为了发现和描述人们的观点、社会状况和关系，将使用定性方法。民族志允许使用多种研究方法(Blaikie，2010)，因此将考虑几种方法，包括相机、数码录像机和深度访谈。预计人种志的长度约为10-12个月。参与者将通过在特伦特河畔斯托克的几家食品银行做志愿者时建立的联系来招募。这项研究有可能通过探索食物和家庭的关系特征，特别是家庭相互支持的方式，增加新的知识，同时食物不安全的耻辱往往是寻求支持的障碍。对粮食不安全的日常生活现实及其对与家人和朋友的关系的影响的分析将提请注意粮食援助受援者的叙述，正如Cloke等人(2016)所说，对此负有压倒性的责任。在紧缩政策持续和英国即将脱离欧盟的背景下，这项研究也是及时的。

AimThis research aims to explore the everyday lived realities of food poverty and its consequential impact on relationships with family and friends.RationaleIn Britain, the last decade has seen mounting food insecurity against a backdrop of austerity policies. Latest figures from Independent Food Aid Network's mapping project estimate that at least 2,000 foodbanks are currently operating in the UK (IFAN, 2017). During an ethnographic study into food poverty in Stoke-on-Trent, participants spoke of relying on family and friends for food gifts and cash loans. Using a foodbank was often a last resort, yet the impact of such reliance on personal relationships remains unknown.Data from the largest national research project on food insecurity in Britain has revealed over 78% of households are severely food insecure (Loopstra & Lalor, 2017). In households that could not afford an adequate diet for their children, 93% had at least one adult regularly skimping on their own food in order to feed their children (Caplan, 2016). An additional cause for concern is the impact of Brexit on the country's 'food poor' (Lang et al, 2017) amid the likelihood of rising food prices in the wake of Britain's departure from the EU.There is a gap in the literature on how food poverty is managed within households, and its effect on relationships. In an attempt to understand family support, Finch and Mason (1993) examined how it is negotiated within families and how far it is based on a sense of duty and obligation. Hall's (2016) ethnographical research focused on the everyday experiences of families struggling to get by in the recent economic recession, emphasising family relationships as crucial in shaping our understanding of how people manage in times of crisis.Key Research QuestionsThe study will investigate three broad areas with the following key research questions:1) Relationships with family and kinHow is food insecurity managed within households practically, and what is the impact on relationships with family and friends?2) Forms of support What sort of help/support is sought from family and friends, and how is this negotiated?3) Impact on parentingHow does food insecurity affect how people see themselves as parents, and what impact does this have on parent/child relationships?MethodologyAn ethnographic design will be used to explore and capture the everyday lived realities of people experiencing food poverty. As it will be necessary to build relationships with the participants, ethnography is considered to be an effective methodological approach because of its ability to elicit rich, holistic insights into people's experiences (Hall, 2011 and 2016).In order to discover and describe people's perspectives, social situations and relationships, a qualitative methodology will be utilised. Ethnography allows for a combination of research methods to be used (Blaikie, 2010), therefore several methods will be considered, including cameras, digital-recorders and in-depth interviews. It is anticipated that the length of the ethnography will be approximately 10-12 months. Participants will be recruited through contacts made while volunteering at several foodbanks across Stoke-on-Trent.Contribution This research has the potential to add to new knowledge through exploring the relational character of food and families, particularly the ways in which families support each other while at the same time the shame of food insecurity is often a barrier in asking for support. An analysis of the everyday lived realities of food insecurity and its impact on relationships with family and friends will draw attention to the accounts of food aid recipients, for which, as stated by Cloke et al (2016), there is an overwhelming responsibility. In a continued landscape of austerity policies and the imminent departure of the UK from the EU, this research is also timely.