Food insecurity associated with self-reported mental health outcomes in Peruvian households during the COVID-19 pandemic

Maria M Anampa-Canales; Salomón Huancahuire-Vega; Edda E Newball-Noriega; Wilter C Morales-García; Cesar Augusto Galvez

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1005170

Food insecurity associated with self-reported mental health outcomes in Peruvian households during the COVID-19 pandemic

Front Nutr. 2022 Nov 4:9:1005170. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1005170. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Maria M Anampa-Canales¹, Salomón Huancahuire-Vega², Edda E Newball-Noriega², Wilter C Morales-García¹, Cesar Augusto Galvez¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, Postgraduate School, Universidad Peruana Unión (UPeU), Lima, Peru.
² Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Human Medicine, Universidad Peruana Unión (UPeU), Lima, Peru.

Abstract

Background: The global pandemic of COVID-19 and the social distancing efforts implemented worldwide to limit its spread have disrupted the economy, increased food insecurity, and mental health problems.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the association between food insecurity and mental health outcomes (stress, depression, and anxiety) in Peruvian households during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional investigation was conducted with 525 participants of both sexes (68% women), over 18 years of age and from the three geographic regions of Peru: Coast (54.9%), Highlands (28.4%), and Jungle (16.8%). The data were collected during the year 2021, between July 6 and September 22 through a self-administered online survey designed to assess socio-demographic, socioeconomic, food insecurity, and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress).

Results: The majority of households (71.4%) experienced some degree of food insecurity. Mild food insecurity was the most frequent, affecting 49.1%, followed by moderate 15.4%, and severe 6.9%. Regarding mental health outcomes, 24.8% manifested depression, 26.7% anxiety, and 15.3% stress. With respect to the association between the level of food insecurity and anxiety, this was highly significant (p < 0.01). Households with mild, moderate and severe food insecurity are 2.04, 4.5, and 10.44 times, respectively, more likely to have moderate-severe anxiety. On the other hand, the mild food insecurity was not associated with moderate-severe depression. In contrast, households with moderate and severe food insecurity are 2.8 and 5.7 times, respectively, more likely to have moderate-severe depression. Finally, households with moderate food insecurity are 5.9 times more likely to have moderate-severe stress, and households with severe food insecurity are 8.5 times more likely to have moderate-severe stress, both having a highly significant association (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: In conclusion, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, household food insecurity was independently associated with worse mental health outcomes. Monitoring of both food insecurity and mental health will be important as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Keywords: COVID-19; Peru; food insecurity; pandemic; perceived mental health; self-report.