Food Insecurity and Mental Health

✍️Rudra Dahal

Food insecurity is a serious public health threat around the world. It is defined as “inadequate or insecure access to food due to economic constraints.” According to the Canadian income survey (2020), 5.8 million Canadians (among them, 1.4 million children) faced food insecurity in 2021. Food insecurity can be classified into three categories, as shown in the diagram below:

1. Marginal food insecurity is when individuals worry about running out of food and/or limited food choices due to the lack of money to purchase food.
2. Moderate food insecurity is when individuals compromise in quantity and quality as they do not grant money to purchase the food to fulfill their needs. 
3. Severe food insecurity is when individuals miss meals, reduce food intake, or in extreme cases, have no food at all!

Looking at the below diagram, 15.9% of Canadian households experienced food insecurity in 2021, and the trend is climbing. 

Household food insecurity in Canada, 2021

 Source: Canadian Income Survey, 2020 (Statistics Canada)

Mental health involves an individual’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It is essential at every stage of life. When a person is mentally healthy, meaning that (s)he feels optimistic about themselves and copes with challenges that arise in their life span. If anyone experiences challenges dealing with life situations/problems, it could be a sign of mental health problems! Mental health problems should be addressed promptly to get positive outcomes. 

Many people think that poor mental health and mental illness are the same, which is not valid [Refer to our blog mental health vs. illness]. For instance, an individual may experience poor mental health, but s(he) may not be diagnosed with a mental illness. 

Households with food insecurity are strongly connected with mental health. Canadians living in food-insecure households have a greater risk of poor mental health, which grows with the severity of food insecurity. The presence of food insecurity and mental health is highly detrimental. Food insecurity makes it hard to manage chronic mental health problems, while mental illness can impede people’s ability to become food secure; those are interrelated. The children who belonged to food-insecure households experience mental health issues such as attention deficit and hyperactivity. Also, they manifest a significant risk of depression, anxiety, smoking initiation, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, aggression, and suicidal ideation when they get adolescents. Strong evidence shows that food insecurity burdens mental health services, as severe food insecurity is associated with additional mental health service utilization. Food insecurity accounts for more than 1 in 3 hospitalization due to mental health issues. 

To reduce food insecurity, a mandatory comprehensive income policy ensures all Canadians can meet food requirements. The government should employ an income-based approach to households struggling to get sufficient food. 

In summary, food insecurity is directly associated with poor mental health outcomes. To combat this problem, the government should employ a comprehensive income-based policy and increase social security funding to support the vulnerable population.