Dey et al. 2026 - Food Insecurity Survey in NZ ME/CFS and Long COVID

Full Citation:: Dey K, Butler J, Riordan Crichton T, Jeffreys I, Jeffreys M. ME/CFS and/or Long Covid in Aotearoa New Zealand: results from a food insecurity survey. Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior. 2026:1-15. (Dey et al. 2026) DOI:: 10.1080/21641846.2026.2688051 Study Design:: Cross-sectional survey Key Findings::

- First survey of food insecurity prevalence among ME/CFS and Long COVID patients in New Zealand
- Reports marginal, moderate, and severe food insecurity rates
- Disease severity associated with food access difficulties
- Compounding effect of disability benefit inadequacy and food costs

Conclusion:: Food insecurity is a significant unmet need among ME/CFS and Long COVID populations in New Zealand. Limitations:: NZ-specific; survey design; self-reported; single-country context. Certainty:: 0.65

References

Dey, Kirsten, Jessica Butler, Tania Riordan Crichton, Ivy Jeffreys, and Mary Jeffreys. 2026. “ME/CFS and/or Long Covid in Aotearoa New Zealand: Results from a Food Insecurity Survey.” Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/21641846.2026.2688051.