Food insecurity and coping strategies associate with higher risk of anxiety and depression among South African households with children

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dc.contributor.authorNorris, Shane A.
dc.contributor.authorDlamini, Siphiwe N.
dc.contributor.authorMtintsilana, Asanda
dc.contributor.authorCraig, Ashleigh
dc.contributor.authorMapanga, Witness
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-12T09:12:57Z
dc.date.available2024-08-12T09:12:57Z
dc.date.issued2024-04
dc.description.abstractObjective: To investigate food insecurity and related coping strategies, and their associations with the risk of anxiety and depression, among South African households with children. Design: Nationally representative cross-sectional study. Tools for assessing food insecurity, coping strategies, risk of anxiety and depression were assessed from the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project, Coping Strategies Index, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. We used ordered logistic regression to test associations of food insecurity and coping strategies with the risk of anxiety and depression. Moderating effects of each coping strategy were tested in the associations of food insecurity with anxiety and depression. Setting: South Africa, post COVID-19 restrictions, May–June 2022. Participants: 1,774 adults, weighted to 20,955,234 households. Results: Food insecurity prevalence was 23·7 % among households with children. All coping strategies were used to some extent, but relying on less preferred and less expensive foods was the most used strategy (85·5 % of food-insecure households). Moving to a higher level of food insecurity was associated with >1·6 greater odds of being in a higher risk of anxiety and depression. Sending a household member to beg for food was the strongest associated factor (OR = 1·7, P < 0·001). All coping strategies partly moderated (lessened) the associations of food insecurity with a higher risk of anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Food insecurity among households with children was high following the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaborative efforts between government, private sector and civil society to eradicate food insecurity should prioritise poorer households with children, as these populations are the most vulnerable.
dc.description.sponsorshipDSI-NRF Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Human Development at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
dc.description.submitterPM2024
dc.facultyFaculty of Health Sciences
dc.identifier.citationDlamini, S. N., Mtintsilana, A., Craig, A., Mapanga, W., & Norris, S. A. (2024). Food insecurity and coping strategies associate with higher risk of anxiety and depression among South African households with children. Public health nutrition, 27(1), e116. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980024000879
dc.identifier.issn1368-9800 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1475-2727 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1017/S1368980024000879
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/40060
dc.journal.titlePublic Health Nutrition
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherCambridge University Press
dc.rights© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence.
dc.schoolSchool of Physiology
dc.subjectFood insecurity
dc.subjectCoping strategies
dc.subjectHouseholds with children
dc.subjectAnxiety
dc.subjectDepression
dc.subject.otherSDG-2: Zero hunger
dc.subject.otherSDG-3: Good health and well-being
dc.titleFood insecurity and coping strategies associate with higher risk of anxiety and depression among South African households with children
dc.typeArticle
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