Food Insecurity and Mental Health among Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees Living in Peru: Secondary Data Analysis of a Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the association between food insecurity and mental health in Venezuelan migrants and refugees residing in Peru using data from the Survey Directed at the Venezuelan Population Residing in the Country (ENPOVE) conducted in 2022. The analysis included 7739 Venezuelan adults. The presence of mental health problems was self-reported, and household food insecurity was measured using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. The study found that 4 out of 10 participants lived in households with moderate to severe food insecurity, and around 10% reported experiencing some mental health problem in the last month. The study identified a positive association between living in households with moderate to severe food insecurity and having some mental health problem compared to living in households without food insecurity. The findings suggest that food insecurity is a common problem among the Venezuelan migrant population residing in Peru, and measures are required to address this problem and mitigate its consequences on mental health and other health problems. The study highlights the need for international organizations to provide assistance and support to these populations and ensure adequate and sustainable follow-up of food insecurity at the national level. It is also necessary to implement early detection tests for mental health problems in the migrant population, especially in individuals exposed to food insecurity. This study provides relevant evidence for addressing public health in the Venezuelan migrant population residing in Peru.

Persistent Food Insecurity and Material Hardships: A Latent Class Analysis of Experiences among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Urban Colombia

“…There appeared to be a dose-response relationship in which membership in Class 2 (high material hardships and food insecurity) had the lowest odds of good to excellent self-rated health and had the highest odds of anxiety or depressive symptomatology, as well as recent violence victimization. These findings are consistent with global research that has demonstrated the direct links between food insecurity and material hardships with mental health, as well as indirect relationships with mental and physical health through malnutrition and delayed medical care [34][35][36]. Similarly, household food insecurity and material hardships have been associated with increased household stress that may trigger violent behavior, while survivors experiencing food insecurity and material hardships may not have the means to access safer housing or to escape abusive relationships, thus increasing the risk of violence victimization [37][38][39].…”