Associations Between Food Insecurity and Depression among Diverse Asian Americans

Abstract

Background: Proper nutrition is an essential component to both physical and emotional health. Food insecurity (FI) is a potentially critical public health problem. The link between FI and elevated risk for depression has been well documented. Yet, it is largely unknown how diverse older adult populations experience FI differently. Therefore, the aims of this study were to examine how gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity may impact the magnitude of the association between FI and depression. Methods: We used a nationally representative sample of the Asian American population from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). We built logistic regression models with major depression in the past 12 months as the dependent variable, and FI as the independent variable. Several demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were added to the models to control for potential biases. All statistical estimates were weighted, using the recommended NLAAS sampling weight, to ensure representativeness of the US population. Results: About 35% (weighted adjusted 95% CI: 29.49–39.00) of Asian Americans experienced some level of FI at the time of survey. Experiencing FI over the past 12 months increased the likelihood of having clinical depression (weighted adjusted odds ratio: 1.44, weight adjusted confidence interval: 0.79–2.10). The magnitude of associations between FI and depression varied by race/ethnicity (F (7, 47) = 6.53, p (3, 41) = 10.56, p (3, 41) = 9.85). Conclusions: Food insecurity significantly increases the likelihood of clinical depression among Asian Americans. Greater attention is needed towards food-insecure Asian Americans and their mental health.

Food Insecurity, Financial Hardship, and Mental Health Among Multiple Asian American Ethnic Groups: Findings from the 2020 COVID-19 Household Impact Survey

“…Prior research has demonstrated that experiencing FI over a period of 12 months increases the likelihood of having clinical depression among AAs, but the magnitude of the association between FI and depression can vary across AA subgroups. 30 For example, one prior national study using data from the National Latino and AAs Study National Latino and AAs Study demonstrated that Filipino Americans experienced the highest rates of FI (41%) compared with all other Asians (38%), Chinese Americans (26%), and Vietnamese Americans (26%, 30). However, the association between FI and depression was highest among the Chinese Americans and all other Asian subgroups, and lowest among the Vietnamese and Filipino adults.…”

“…However, the association between FI and depression was highest among the Chinese Americans and all other Asian subgroups, and lowest among the Vietnamese and Filipino adults. 30 Again, failure to disaggregate data by AA ethnic group would mask the differences in mental health burdens associated with FI across these AA groups.…”

Association between food insecurity and major depressive episodes amid Covid-19 pandemic: results of four consecutive epidemiological surveys from southern Brazil

“…Despite association between FI and depression has been well described in the literature, the majority of studies about this relationship have been conducted with specific sub-groups such as low-income individuals, immigrants, people living with HIV, among others (20,35,39) . Results using samples from overall population, like our investigation, are scarcer but also indicate FI as an important determinant for the development of mental health disorders.…”

“…A study that analysed the association between food insecurity and mental disorders in 149 countries showed that individual-level food insecurity status was associated with poorer mental health (19) . Several other studies have already linked food insecurity status to the risk of mental health disorders in diverse contexts and populations (20)(21)(22) .…”

“…individuals younger than20 years old (2.9% of overall sample) because normally they are not responsible for household food purchases, which could interfere on food insecurity questions. The final analyses included 1,550 individuals who were interviewed in four Finally, 29.4% of the sample presented household food insecurity, with a slight decrease in this situation from wave 1 (35.2%; 95%C.I.…”