Food Insecurity Is Associated with Depression among a Vulnerable Workforce: Early Care and Education Workers

Ivory H. Loh, Vanessa M. Oddo and Jennifer Otten
Additional contact information
Ivory H. Loh: Nutritional Sciences Program, University of Washington School of Public Health, 305 Raitt Hall, P.O. Box 353410, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Vanessa M. Oddo: Department of Health Services, University of Washington School of Public Health, 1959 NE Pacific St., P.O. Box 357660, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Jennifer Otten: Nutritional Sciences Program, University of Washington School of Public Health, 305 Raitt Hall, P.O. Box 353410, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 18, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Objective: We aimed to explore the association between food insecurity and depression among early care and education (ECE) workers, a vulnerable population often working in precarious conditions. Design: We utilized cross-sectional data from a study exploring the effects of wage on ECE centers. Participants were enrolled between August 2017 and December 2018. Food insecurity was measured using the validated six-item U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and participants were categorized as food secure (score = 0–1), low food security (score = 2–4), and very low food security (score = 5–6). Depression (defined as a score ≥ 16) was measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised. We employed a logistic regression model to examine the relationship between food insecurity and depression. All models controlled for marital status, nativity, race/ethnicity, number of children in the household, job title, weekly hours of work, education, income, and study site. Setting: Participants were from Seattle (40%) and South King County (26%), Washington, and Austin, Texas (34%). Participants: Participants included 313 ECE workers from 49 ECE centers. Results: A majority of participants were female, non-Hispanic White, born in the U.S., and did not have children. Compared to being food secure, very low and low food insecurities were associated with a 4.95 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.29, 10.67) and 2.69 (95% CI: 1.29, 5.63) higher odds of depression, respectively. Conclusions: Policies and center-level interventions that address both food insecurity and depression may be warranted, in order to protect and improve the health of this valuable, yet vulnerable, segment of the U.S. workforce.

Keywords: food insecurity; depression; mental health; early care and education; childcare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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