Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Food insufficiency is associated with psychiatric morbidity in a nationally representative study of mental illness among food insecure Canadians

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Studies suggest that people who are food insecure are more likely to experience mental illness. However, little is known about which aspects of food insecurity place individuals most at risk of mental illness. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of mental illness among food insecure Canadians, and examine whether mental illness differs between those who are consuming insufficient amounts of food versus poor quality foods.

Methods

This analysis utilized the publically available dataset from the Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 4.1. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine the associations between food insecurity and mental health disorder diagnosis, while adjusting for potential confounders. Stratified analyses were used to identify vulnerable sub-groups.

Results

Among 5,588 Canadian adults (18–64 years) reporting food insecurity, 58 % reported poor food quality and 42 % reported food insufficiency. The prevalence of mental health diagnosis was 24 % among participants with poor food quality, and 35 % among individuals who were food insufficient (hunger). After adjusting for confounders, adults experiencing food insufficiency had 1.69 adjusted-odds [95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.49–1.91] of having a mental health diagnosis. Stratified analyses revealed increased odds among women (a-OR 1.89, 95 % CI 1.62–2.20), single parent households (a-OR 2.05, 95 % CI 1.51–2.78), and non-immigrants (a-OR 1.88, 95 % CI 1.64–2.16).

Conclusion

The prevalence of mental illness is alarmingly high in this population-based sample of food insecure Canadians. These findings suggest that government and community-based programming aimed at strengthening food security should integrate supports for mental illness in this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Health Canada (2004) Income-Related Household Food Security in Canada

  2. Levin BW, Browner CH (2005) The social production of health: critical contributions from evolutionary, biological, and cultural anthropology. Soc Sci Med 61(4):745–750

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Collins L (2005) The impact of food insecurity on women’s mental health. J Assoc Res Mothering 11(1):251–262

    Google Scholar 

  4. Webb P, Coates J, Frongillo EA, Rogers BL, Swindale A, Bilinsky P (2006) Measuring household food insecurity: why it’s so important and yet so difficult to do. J Nutr 136(5):1404S–1408S

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. United Nations Subcommittee on Nutrition (2001) United Nations Subcommittee on Nutrition: Nutrition and HIV/AIDS. Nairobi, Kenya

  6. Guerrant RL, Oriá RB, Moore SR, Oriá MOB, Lima AAM (2008) Malnutrition as an enteric infectious disease with long-term effects on child development. Nutr Rev 66(9):487–505

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gucciardi E, Vogt JA, DeMelo M, Stewart DE (2009) Exploration of the relationship between household food insecurity and diabetes in Canada. Diabetes Care 32(12):2218–2224

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Thompson B, Amoroso L (2010) Combating micronutrient deficiencies: food-based approaches. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

  9. Stuff JE, Casey PH, Szeto KL, Gossett JM, Robbins JM, Simpson PM, Connell C, Bogle ML (2004) Household food insecurity is associated with adult health status. J Nutr 134(9):2330–2335

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Siefert K, Heflin CM, Corcoran M, Williams DR (2004) Food insufficiency and physical and mental health in a longitudinal survey of welfare recipients. J Health Soc Behav 45:171–186

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Chilton M, Booth S (2007) Hunger of the body and hunger of the mind: African American women’s perceptions of food insecurity, health and violence. J Nutr Educ Behav 39(3):116–125

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Melchior M, Caspi A, Howard LM, Ambler AP, Bolton H, Mountain N, Moffitt TE (2009) Mental health context of food insecurity: a representative cohort of families with young children. Pediatrics 124(4):e564–e572

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Anema A, Wood E, Weiser SD, Qi J, Montaner JS, Kerr T (2010) Hunger and associated harms among injection drug users in an urban Canadian setting. Subst Abus Treat Prev Policy 5:20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Che J, Chen J (2001) Food insecurity in Canadian households. Health rep/Stat Can Can Cent Health Inf 12(4):11–22

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Vozoris NT, Tarasuk VS (2003) Household food insufficiency is associated with poorer health. J Nutr 133(1):120–126

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Statistics Canada (2009) Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)—Annual component user guide

  17. Frongillo EA (1999) Validation of measures of food insecurity and hunger. J Nutr 129(2S Suppl):506S–509S

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. American Psychological Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders, 4th edn Washington, DC

  19. Wade TJ, Veldhuizen S, Cairney J (2011) Prevalence of psychiatric disorder in lone fathers and mothers: examining the intersection of gender and family structure on mental health. Can J Psychiatry 56(9):567–573

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Sim SM, Glanville NT, McIntyre L (2011) Food management behaviours in food-insecure, lone mother-led families. Can J Diet Pract Res: Publ Diet of Can 72(3):123–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Pahwa P, Karunanayake CP, McCrosky J, Thorpe L (2012) Longitudinal trends in mental health among ethnic groups in Canada. Chronic Dis Inj Can 32(3):164–176

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V (2011) Housing circumstances are associated with household food access among low-income urban families. J Urban Health: bull NY Acad Med 88(2):284–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Kirkpatrick SI, Tarasuk V (2008) Food insecurity in Canada: considerations for monitoring. Can J Public Health 99(4):324–327

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Heflin CM, Siefert K, Williams DR (2005) Food insufficiency and women’s mental health: findings from a 3-year panel of welfare recipients. Soc Sci Med 61(9):1971–1982

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Crosier T, Butterworth P, Rodgers B (2007) Mental health problems among single and partnered mothers. The role of financial hardship and social support. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 42(2):6–13

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Vahabi M, Damba C, Rocha C, Montoya EC (2011) Food insecurity among latin American recent immigrants in Toronto. J Immigr Minor Health/Cent Minor Public Health 13(5):929–939

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Tiwari SK, Wang J (2008) Ethnic differences in mental health service use among White, Chinese, South Asian and South East Asian populations living in Canada. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 43(11):866–871

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. O’Mahony J, Donnelly T (2010) Immigrant and refugee women’s post-partum depression help-seeking experiences and access to care: a review and analysis of the literature. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 17(10):917–928

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Donnelly TT, Hwang JJ, Este D, Ewashen C, Adair C, Clinton M (2011) If I was going to kill myself, I wouldn’t be calling you. I am asking for help: challenges influencing immigrant and refugee women’s mental health. Issues Mental Health Nurs 32(5):279–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Willows N, Veugelers P, Raine K, Kuhle S (2011) Associations between household food insecurity and health outcomes in the Aboriginal population (excluding reserves). Health Rep/Stat Can, Can Cent Health Inf 22(2):15–20

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to greatly acknowledge Dr. Mieke Koehoorn for her ongoing support and helpful comments on this manuscript which was written as part of a graduate course at UBC; KAM designed the research, analyzed the data; KAM wrote the first draft, PD, SF and AA supported the final manuscript; AA had primary responsibility for the final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. KAM is funded through a doctoral fellowship through the Canadian Association for HIV/AIDS Research administered by the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR). PD is funded through the Population Health Intervention Research Network. SF is funded through a CIHR post-doctoral award. AA is funded through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships of CIHR.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katherine A. Muldoon.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Muldoon, K.A., Duff, P.K., Fielden, S. et al. Food insufficiency is associated with psychiatric morbidity in a nationally representative study of mental illness among food insecure Canadians. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 795–803 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0597-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0597-3

Keywords

Navigation