Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Consumer Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2021 Aug;75(8):741-748. doi: 10.1136/jech-2020-216149. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
Research has linked food insecurity to mental health problems, though little is known about this relationship among Canadian youth. We investigate the association between food insecurity severity and mental illnesses in a nationally representative youth sample.
We sampled 55 700 youth 12-24 years from recent cycles of Canadian Community Health Survey. Household food insecurity was measured using a standard 18-item questionnaire. We fitted Poisson regressions on self-rated mental health and diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders, controlling for sociodemographic confounders. Clinical assessments of emotional distress, major depression and suicidal ideation were examined in subsamples with available data. We stratified the sample by gender, age and survey cycle to test potential demographic heterogeneity.
One in seven youth lived in marginal (5.30%), moderate (8.08%) or severe (1.44%) food insecurity. Results showed that food insecurity was associated with higher likelihood of every mental health problem examined. The association was graded, with more severe food insecurity linked to progressively worse mental health. Notably, marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity were associated with 1.77, 2.44 and 6.49 times higher risk of suicidal thoughts, respectively. The corresponding relative risk for mood disorders were 1.57, 2.00 and 2.89; those for anxiety disorders were 1.41, 1.65 and 2.58. Moderate food insecurity was more closely associated with mental health problems in 18-24 year olds than in 12-17 year olds.
Food insecurity severity was associated with poorer mental health among Canadian youth independent of household income and other socioeconomic differences. Targeted policy intervention alleviating food insecurity may improve youth mental health.
研究表明，食物不安全与心理健康问题有关，但在加拿大青年群体中，人们对这种关系知之甚少。我们调查了在一个具有全国代表性的青年样本中，食物不安全严重程度与精神疾病之间的关联。
我们从最近的加拿大社区健康调查周期中抽取了 55700 名 12-24 岁的青年作为样本。家庭食物不安全情况使用标准的 18 项问卷进行测量。我们在控制了社会人口统计学混杂因素后，对自我评估的心理健康以及诊断出的情绪和焦虑障碍进行了泊松回归分析。在有可用数据的亚组中，检查了情绪困扰、重度抑郁症和自杀意念的临床评估。我们按性别、年龄和调查周期对样本进行分层，以检验潜在的人口统计学异质性。
七分之一的青年生活在边缘型（5.30%）、中度（8.08%）或严重型（1.44%）食物不安全状态。结果表明，食物不安全与所研究的每一种心理健康问题的发生几率增加有关。这种关联呈等级性，食物不安全程度越严重，心理健康状况越差。值得注意的是，边缘型、中度和严重型食物不安全与自杀意念的风险分别增加 1.77、2.44 和 6.49 倍。情绪障碍的相应相对风险分别为 1.57、2.00 和 2.89；焦虑障碍的分别为 1.41、1.65 和 2.58。在 18-24 岁的青年中，中度食物不安全与心理健康问题的关联比在 12-17 岁的青年中更为密切。
食物不安全严重程度与加拿大青年的心理健康状况较差有关，与家庭收入和其他社会经济差异无关。有针对性的减轻食物不安全的政策干预可能会改善青年的心理健康。
