Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Background: Food insecurity is the lack of sufficient food in quantity and/or quality and has been found to be linked with poor mental health outcomes; however, this relationship is poorly understood among women of reproductive age in Nepal. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between food insecurity and mental health outcomes of women aged 15-49 in Nepal.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among a total of 7,427 women using data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2022. Household food insecurity was determined using the Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (FIES-H), while psychological distress, anxiety, and depression were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of food insecurity on mental health outcomes, while controlling for factors such as the woman's age, education, marital status, wealth index, employment, household size, and type of place of residence.
Results: Food insecurity affected 41.5% of reproductive-aged women. The prevalence of psychological distress was 17.6%, when separating distress in its factors, 16,8% had anxiety and 5.9% had depression. Results show a significant association between increasing levels of food insecurity and heightened psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Women from households with mild, moderate, and severe food insecurity were found to have higher odds of experiencing psychological distress compared to those from food-secure households, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.64, 3.07, and 3.01 respectively. Similar result for anxiety and depression. All these results were statistically significant (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Food insecurity was significantly associated with adverse mental health outcomes after controlling for socioeconomic covariates. These findings underscore the importance of addressing food insecurity to promote women's mental well-being.
Key words: Household food insecurity, mental health outcomes, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, Nepal
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