Association of Food Insecurity with Mental Health Outcomes in Parents and Children

Cain, Kathryn S.; Meyer, Stephanie C.; Cummer, Elaina; Patel, Kishan; Casacchia, Nicholas J; Montez, Kimberly; Palakshappa, Deepak; Brown, Callie L.

doi:10.1016/j.acap.2022.04.010

Cited by 37 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 143 publications

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“…For the purposes of this study, the total score was utilised, excluding questions relating to future mobility as these do not currently directly impact the child (e.g., "Do you expect that you will move to a different area in this country within the next 6 months?"). The subscales for livelihood, basic needs and housing were also utilised due to their direct impact on the child and previous reports of inadequate housing, poverty and malnutrition being associated with poor child mental health [39][40][41].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

War exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms and hair cortisol concentrations in Syrian refugee children

et al. 2022

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Altered secretion of cortisol, the primary effector of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis, has been proposed as a means by which traumatic experiences compromise later mental health. However, despite the popularity of cortisol as a potential biomarker for stress and adversity, findings are inconsistent, and little is known about the impact of war-related trauma on stress physiology of children and adolescents. Here we aimed to evaluate the relationships between war exposure, current living conditions, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a large cohort of Syrian refugee children and adolescents (6–18 years) and their caregiver. This longitudinal observational study assessed Syrian refugee children and adolescents in two waves, 1 year apart, within informal tented settlements in Lebanon. The relationships between war exposure, time since leaving Syria, PTSD symptoms and HCC were investigated using linear mixed-model regression utilising both waves of data collected (Y1: N = 1574, Y2: N = 923). Hair cortisol concentration was positively, but weakly associated with the number of war-related events experienced. This was limited to those who were at least 12 years old at the time of war exposure. Conversely, HCC decreased with time since leaving Syria. HCC was also associated with PTSD symptoms but not with the quality of their current living conditions. This study revealed that changes to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity may accompany both earlier war exposure and current PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents. Additionally, early adolescence may be a particularly sensitive time in terms of trauma-related changes to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

War exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms and hair cortisol concentrations in Syrian refugee children

et al. 2022

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“…Food insecurity is associated with highly aversive psychological effects. These include more depressive symptoms, lower health-related quality of life, high levels of stress, and lower self-efficacy, [78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85] all of these psychological states can worsen health. Food insecurity can induce anxiety and stress, 86 which may lead to chronic systemic inflammation and subsequent metabolic alterations.…”

Section: Question Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and Food and Nutrition Insecurity and Cardiometabolic Disease

Brandt

Mozaffarian

Leung

et al. 2023

Circulation Research

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Poor nutrition is the leading cause of poor health, health care spending, and lost productivity in the United States and globally, which acts through cardiometabolic diseases as precursors to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other conditions. There is great interest in how the social determinants of health (the conditions in which people are born, live, work, develop, and age) impact cardiometabolic disease. Food insecurity is an example of a powerful social determinant of health that impacts health outcomes. Nutrition insecurity, a distinct but related concept to food insecurity, is a direct determinant of health. In this article, we provide an overview of how diet in early life relates to cardiometabolic disease and then continue to focus on the concepts of food insecurity and nutrition insecurity. In the discussions herein we make important distinctions between the concepts of food insecurity and nutrition insecurity and provide a review of their concepts, histories, measurement and assessment devices, trends and prevalence, and links to health and health disparities. The discussions here set the stage for future research and practice to directly address the negative consequences of food and nutrition insecurity.

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“…Food insecurity contributes to both physical [21,22] and mental health inequalities [23][24][25]. Specific health outcomes associated with food insecurity are obesity in adolescents [26] and women [27].…”

Section: Food Insecurity and Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household food insecurity risk indices for English neighbourhoods: Measures to support local policy decisions

et al. 2022

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Background In England, the responsibility to address food insecurity lies with local government, yet the prevalence of this social inequality is unknown in small subnational areas. In 2018 an index of small-area household food insecurity risk was developed and utilised by public and third sector organisations to target interventions; this measure needed updating to better support decisions in different settings, such as urban and rural areas where pressures on food security differ. Methods We held interviews with stakeholders (n = 14) and completed a scoping review to identify appropriate variables to create an updated risk measure. We then sourced a range of open access secondary data to develop an indices of food insecurity risk in English neighbourhoods. Following a process of data transformation and normalisation, we tested combinations of variables and identified the most appropriate data to reflect household food insecurity risk in urban and rural areas. Results Eight variables, reflecting both household circumstances and local service availability, were separated into two domains with equal weighting for a new index, the Complex Index, and a subset of these to make up the Simple Index. Within the Complex Index, the Compositional Domain includes population characteristics while the Structural Domain reflects small area access to resources such as grocery stores. The Compositional Domain correlated well with free school meal eligibility (rs = 0.705) and prevalence of childhood obesity (rs = 0.641). This domain was the preferred measure for use in most areas when shared with stakeholders, and when assessed alongside other configurations of the variables. Areas of highest risk were most often located in the North of England. Conclusion We recommend the use of the Compositional Domain for all areas, with inclusion of the Structural Domain in rural areas where locational disadvantage makes it more difficult to access resources. These measures can aid local policy makers and planners when allocating resources and interventions to support households who may experience food insecurity.

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Association of Food Insecurity with Mental Health Outcomes in Parents and Children

Cited by 37 publications

References 143 publications

War exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms and hair cortisol concentrations in Syrian refugee children

War exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms and hair cortisol concentrations in Syrian refugee children

Diet and Food and Nutrition Insecurity and Cardiometabolic Disease

Household food insecurity risk indices for English neighbourhoods: Measures to support local policy decisions

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