Dimba Precious S, Saloojee Shamima, Ntlantsana Vuyokazi, Mashaphu Sibongile
Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
S Afr J Psychiatr. 2025 May 16;31:2342. doi: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v31i0.2342. eCollection 2025.
Food insecurity is a problem for many people globally. Women and people living with mental illnesses are at a particular risk. There is limited information regarding food insecurity in women living with mental illnesses from South Africa.
To describe the prevalence of food insecurity, its association with socio-demographic and clinical factors, as well as quality of life (QoL) in women with mental illnesses attending a psychiatric hospital.
King Dinuzulu Hospital Complex in eThekwini KwaZulu-Natal over a 6-month period.
A researcher-designed questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data, while the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and the World Health Organization QoL questionnaire (WHO QOL-BREF) were used to collect data on food insecurity and QoL, respectively.
The 123 participants had a mean age of 50 years (standard deviation [s.d.] ± 13.89), and an overall prevalence of food insecurity of 47.1%. In a bivariate analysis, food insecurity was significantly associated with younger age ( = 0.02), having no monthly household income ( = 0.01), a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis ( = 0.02) and a poorer overall QoL ( < 0.001).
Women with mental illnesses had a higher prevalence of food insecurity, with an associated poorer QoL. Additional measures are required to improve food security in this vulnerable group.
This study found that women with mental illness had more than twice the prevalence of food insecurity than the general population in KwaZulu-Natal.
粮食不安全是全球许多人面临的问题。女性和患有精神疾病的人面临特别的风险。关于南非患有精神疾病的女性的粮食不安全情况，信息有限。
描述在一家精神病医院就诊的患有精神疾病的女性中粮食不安全的患病率、其与社会人口学和临床因素的关联以及生活质量（QoL）。
夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔省伊泰夸尼的迪努祖鲁国王医院综合院区，为期6个月。
使用研究人员设计的问卷收集社会人口学和临床数据，同时分别使用家庭粮食不安全获取量表（HFIAS）和世界卫生组织生活质量问卷（WHO QOL - BREF）收集粮食不安全和生活质量的数据。
123名参与者的平均年龄为50岁（标准差[s.d.]±13.89），粮食不安全的总体患病率为47.1%。在双变量分析中，粮食不安全与较年轻的年龄（P = 0.02）、没有家庭月收入（P = 0.01）、合并精神科诊断（P = 0.02）以及较差的总体生活质量（P < 0.001）显著相关。
患有精神疾病的女性粮食不安全患病率较高，且生活质量较差。需要采取额外措施来改善这一弱势群体的粮食安全状况。
本研究发现，患有精神疾病的女性粮食不安全患病率是夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔省普通人群的两倍多。
