Abstract
Purpose: Household food insecurity is related to poor mental health. This study examines whether the level of
household food insecurity is associated with a gradient in the risk of reporting six adverse mental health outcomes.
This study further quantifies the mental health impact if severe food insecurity, the extreme of the risk
continuum, were eliminated in Canada.
Methods: Using a pooled sample of the Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 302,683), we examined the
relationship between level of food insecurity, in adults 18–64 years, and reporting six adverse mental health
outcomes. We conducted a probit analysis adjusted for multi-variable models, to calculate the reduction in the
odds of reporting mental health outcomes that might accrue from the elimination of severe food insecurity.
Results: Controlling for various demographic and socioeconomic covariates, a food insecurity gradient was
found in six mental health outcomes. We calculated that a decrease between 8.1% and 16.0% in the reporting of
these mental health outcomes would accrue if those who are currently severely food insecure became food
secure, after controlling for covariates.
Conclusion: Household food insecurity has a pervasive graded negative effect on a variety of mental health
outcomes, in which significantly higher levels of food insecurity are associated with a higher risk of adverse
mental health outcomes. Reduction of food insecurity, particularly at the severe level, is a public health concern
and a modifiable structural determinant of health worthy of macro-level policy intervention.
Grantingagency
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Refereed
Yes
Sponsorship
Programmatic Grant in Health and
Health Equity from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
(Grant no. FRN 115208) and a CIHR Graduate Student Award
