Food Insecurity is Related to Women's Mental and Physical Health in Babolsar, Iran

Ahmadi, Amirhossein Ramezani; Heshmat, Ramin; Vedadhir, A A; Sobhani, Reza; Taheri, Samira Ahmadi; Pouraram, Hamed

doi:10.18869/acadpub.nfsr.4.3.3

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…For example, in a study conducted in June/July 2020 in the United States, low-income participants who had food insecurity were more than three times more likely to be at risk of depression and anxiety (Fang et al, 2021 ). Similar patterns were also observed prior to the pandemic where food insecurity has been linked to mental and physical disorders (Ramezani et al, 2017 ) . In a study based on an econometric analysis, hunger correlated with “worsening health” in a cohort of South Africans ( Nwosu et al, 2022 ) .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Geospatial variations in socioeconomic conditions and health outcomes in COVID-19 era: insights from South Africa (2020–2022)

et al. 2023

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South Africa also has the highest burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related comorbidities in Africa. We aimed to quantify the temporal and geospatial changes in unemployment, food insecurity, and their combined impact on depressive symptoms among South Africans who participated into several rounds of national surveys. We estimated the population-attributable risk percent ($$PAR\%$$ P A R % ) for the combinations of the risk factors after accounting for their correlation structure in multifactorial setting. Our study provided compelling evidence for immediate and severe effect of the pandemic where 60% of South Africans reported household food insecurity or household hunger, shortly after the pandemic emerged in 2020. Despite the grants provided by the government, these factors were also identified as the most influential risk factors (adjusted odds ratios (aORs) ranged from 2.06 to 3.10, p < 0.001) for depressive symptoms and collectively associated with 62% and 53% of the mental health symptoms in men and women, respectively. Similar pattern was observed among pregnant women and 41% of the depressive symptoms were exclusively associated with those who reported household hunger. However, aORs associated with the concerns around pandemic and vaccine were mostly not significant and ranged from 1.12 to 1.26 which resulted substantially lower impacts on depressive symptoms (PAR%:7%-and-14%). Our findings suggest that South Africa still has unacceptably high rates of hunger which is accelerated during the pandemic. These results may have significant clinical and epidemiological implications and may also bring partial explanation for the low vaccine coverage in the country, as priorities and concerns are skewed towards economic concerns and food insecurity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Geospatial variations in socioeconomic conditions and health outcomes in COVID-19 era: insights from South Africa (2020–2022)

et al. 2023

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“…However, the literature on this topic is scarce. While previous studies demonstrated the consequences of food insecurity among preschool teachers ( 12 , 13 ), few assessed food-related needs among elementary schools serving racial and ethnic minority populations with low income, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of our study was to describe the prevalence of food insecurity and other social determinants of health, including financial stability, employment concerns, housing, transportation, childcare, and access to health care, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic among teachers in public schools serving racial and ethnic minority families with low incomes in the US.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity and Health-Related Concerns Among Elementary Schoolteachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Parthasarathy

Zhang

et al. 2022

Prev. Chronic Dis.

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Introduction US school systems underwent major upheaval, including closures, implementation of virtual and/or hybrid learning, and stringent infection mitigation protocols, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to examine the association between food insecurity and perceived health, perceived stress, and social determinants of health concerns among elementary schoolteachers serving predominantly low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that weekly distributes fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education materials to more than 300 schools serving racial and ethnic minority populations with low income, conducts annual surveys of participating teachers to help determine subsequent efforts to support schools and families during the school year. We analyzed self-reported data collected electronically by the Brighter Bites teachers survey in 76 elementary schools during summer 2020. We used generalized linear mixed models to measure the association between food insecurity and health-related concerns. Results Of 862 teachers who responded to the survey, 685 answered the 2 questions about food insecurity status; of these, 199 (29.1%) reported experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity was positively associated with poor perceived general health, greater perceived stress, concerns about various social determinants of health, and changes in fruit and vegetable consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Our study demonstrated the high prevalence of food insecurity and highlights its associated factors among elementary schoolteachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It calls attention to the high correlation of various concerns among elementary schoolteachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further intervention and policy efforts are needed to relieve food insecurity–related concerns and enhance well-being among teachers.

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Is Food Insecurity Associated With Iron Deficiency Anemia and Vitamin D Deficiency Among Women of Reproductive Age?

Kazemi

Hezaveh

Nikniaz

et al. 2020

Topics in Clinical Nutrition

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This cross-sectional study assessed the association between household food insecurity (HFI) and anemia, iron deficiency, and vitamin D deficiency among women of reproductive age. The HFI status was assessed using a short form of the Household Food Security Scale questionnaire, and the serum ferritin, hemoglobin, and vitamin D levels were measured using the ELISA method. About 67.3% of the population was food insecure. There was a positive association between HFI and anemia (2.57; 95% CI, 1.02-7.17). However, the association between HFI and serum vitamin D and iron deficiency was not statistically significant. Further prospective research is needed to confirm these observations.

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Food Insecurity is Related to Women's Mental and Physical Health in Babolsar, Iran

Cited by 6 publications

References 31 publications

Geospatial variations in socioeconomic conditions and health outcomes in COVID-19 era: insights from South Africa (2020–2022)

Geospatial variations in socioeconomic conditions and health outcomes in COVID-19 era: insights from South Africa (2020–2022)

Food Insecurity and Health-Related Concerns Among Elementary Schoolteachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Is Food Insecurity Associated With Iron Deficiency Anemia and Vitamin D Deficiency Among Women of Reproductive Age?

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