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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol (2013) 48:795803 DOI 10.1007/s00127-012-0597-3
ORIGINAL PAPER
Food insufciency is associated with psychiatric morbidity in a nationally representative study of mental illness among food insecure Canadians
Katherine A. Muldoon Putu K. Duff
Sarah Fielden Aranka Anema
Received: 12 January 2012 / Accepted: 22 September 2012 / Published online: 11 October 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
AbstractPurpose 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 insufcient amounts of food versus poor quality foods. Methods This analysis utilized the publically available dataset from the Canadian Community Health Survey cycle4.1. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine the associations between food insecurity and mental health disorder diagnosis, while adjusting for potential confounders. Stratied analyses were used to identify vulnerable sub-groups.
Results Among 5,588 Canadian adults (1864 years) reporting food insecurity, 58 % reported poor food quality and 42 % reported food insufciency. The prevalence of mental health diagnosis was 24 % among participants with poor food quality, and 35 % among individuals who were
food insufcient (hunger). After adjusting for confounders, adults experiencing food insufciency had 1.69 adjusted-odds [95 % condence interval (CI): 1.491.91] of having a mental health diagnosis. Stratied analyses revealed increased odds among women (a-OR 1.89, 95 % CI 1.622.20), single parent households (a-OR 2.05, 95 % CI 1.512.78), and non-immigrants (a-OR 1.88, 95 % CI 1.642.16).
Conclusion The prevalence of mental illness is alarmingly high in this population-based sample of food insecure Canadians. These ndings suggest that government and community-based programming aimed at strengthening food security should integrate supports for mental illness in this population.
Keywords Food insecurity Food insufciency
Hunger Mental illness Canada
Introduction
Having safe and secure access to adequate amounts of healthy and nutritious food is a foundational determinant of health and a key public health issue in Canada. While most Canadian households have consistent access to healthy food, in 2004 it was documented that 9.2 % of households and 8.8 % of...