Household Food Insecurity and Mental Health Among Teenage Girls Living in Urban Slums in Varanasi, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Divya Rani, Jitendra Kumar Singh, Dilaram Acharya, Rajan Paudel, Kwan Lee and Shri Prakash Singh
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Divya Rani: Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Jitendra Kumar Singh: Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Janaki Medical College, Tribhuvan University, Janakpur 44618, Nepal
Dilaram Acharya: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 04620, Korea
Rajan Paudel: Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Kwan Lee: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 04620, Korea
Shri Prakash Singh: Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: This study was undertaken to investigate the relation between household food insecurity and mental health problems in teenage girls living in urban slums. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 urban slums in Varanasi, India, between September 2016 and July 2017. A probability proportion to size (PPS) method was employed to select 5 of 210 urban slums at a first stage, and in the second stage, 418 teenage girls were chosen randomly from selected households. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and mental health inventory tools were employed to assess food insecurity and mental health status. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with at a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the association between household food insecurity and mental health status. Of 418 respondents, 47.6% were food insecure; 64.1%, 57.7%, and 58.4% had high levels of anxiety, depression, or psychological distress, respectively; and 57.2% exhibited a medium level of loss of behavioral control. Furthermore, teenage girls from food insecure households were more likely to have high levels of anxiety, depression, loss of behavioral control and psychological distress than those living in food secure households. This study shows food insecurity is independently associated with mental health problems among teenage girls. Food insecurity in Indian slums should be addressed by specific public health intervention programs that provide access to sufficient safe, nutritious food.

Keywords: cross-sectional study; household food insecurity; mental health; teenage girls; urban slums; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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