Food Insecure Populations Research Articles

Pandemic Food Response in Primary Care to Minimize Exposure for Elderly Food Insecure Population.

IntroductionStay-at-home orders during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged individuals, especially the elderly, to stock up on food and supplies and remain home to limit exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, individuals with food insecurity may be able only to afford a few days of food at a time, causing frequent outings to obtain food. An emergency food delivery system decreases the need for frequent outings. This study investigated: (1) whether elderly family medicine patients with previously reported food insecurity were making frequent trips to obtain food during the lockdown, and (2) if social determinants of health screening data could be used successfully to identify patients in need of emergency food delivery during the pandemic.MethodsPrimary care patients 65 years and older with previously reported food insecurity were screened for referral to a community food delivery program. A cross-sectional secondary analysis of screening and referral data were conducted.ResultsClinic staff called 52 patients and completed screening of 30. For 23/30 respondents (76.7%), reported monthly outings to obtain food exceeded the recommended stay-at-home guidelines. In our sample, 22/30 (73.3%) reported current food need, 14/30 (46.7%) reported two or fewer days of food, 28/30 (93.3%) reported receiving home food delivery would keep them from going out, 24/30 (80.0%) agreed to food delivery, and 17 patients received a food delivery.ConclusionsTargeted screening and referral for food delivery may reduce the need for patients experiencing food insecurity to leave home during a pandemic or other disaster, potentially decreasing community exposure for a high-risk population. Primary care practices can utilize previously collected food insecurity and other social determinants of health data to identify and assist high-risk patients in a pandemic.

Creating grocery delivery hubs for food deserts at local convenience stores via spatial and temporal consolidation

For many socioeconomically disadvantaged customers living in food deserts, the high costs and minimum order size requirements make attended grocery deliveries financially non-viable, although it has a potential to provide healthy foods to the food insecure population. This paper proposes consolidating customer orders and delivering to a neighborhood convenience store instead of home delivery. We employ an optimization framework involving the minimum cost set covering and the capacitated vehicle routing problems. Our experimental studies in three counties in the U.S. suggest that by spatial and temporal consolidation of orders, the deliverer can remove minimum order-size requirements and reduce the delivery costs, depending on various factors, compared to attended home-delivery. We find the number and size of time windows for home delivery to be the most important factor in achieving temporal consolidation benefits. Other significant factors in achieving spatial consolidation include the capacity of delivery vehicles, the number of depots, and the number of customer orders. We also find that the number of partner convenience stores and the walkable distance parameter of the model have a significant impact on the number of accepted orders, i.e., the service level provided by the deliverer. The findings of this study imply consolidated grocery delivery as a viable solution to improve fresh food access in food deserts. In light of the recent global pandemic and its exacerbating effects on food insecurity, the innovative solution proposed in this paper is even more relevant and timely.

Agroecological Transition: A Territorial Examination of the Simultaneity of Limited Farmer Livelihoods and Food Insecurity

Nutritional disease, persistent food insecurity, ecological devastation, and limited sustainable livelihoods among small and beginning (SB) farmers coexist as unintended consequences of trying to address these challenges separately. Agroecology is useful for holistically understanding a community’s food system dynamics, identifying regime lock-ins, and developing pathways to transition to a sustainable food system. Focusing on two often divergent publics, SB farmers and food-insecure populations, this research answers the questions: What critical agroecological characteristics are lacking in a food system contributing to both limited livelihoods of SB farmers and food-insecure populations? In what ways might the relationships of these two publics be central to an agroecological transition to a regional sustainable food system? We present a case study for the city-region Duluth-Northland, Minnesota, USA, by combining methodological and theoretical insights from participatory action research, agroecology, and sustainability transitions literature. Results include a current state of regional food flows, illuminate the food system’s enabling and inhibitory factors, and highlight opportunities for exercising local agency to transition to a sustainable food system using agroecological principles. This research suggests developing relational spaces where two typically divergent publics can dialogue and build reciprocal relationships to construct new food pathways. Findings also highlight a need to develop a social infrastructure to support SB farmer livelihoods, recognize their contribution to the public good, and simultaneously address multiple dimensions of food insecurity. This study provides preliminary guidance for mobilizing action at the nexus of health and food access, environment, and regenerative agriculture livelihoods.

The role of institutions in sustaining competitive bioeconomy growth in Africa – Insights from the Nigerian maize biomass value-web

Recently, many developing countries have implemented several bioeconomy plans to transform their rural economies and improve food security at local, national, and regional levels. Yet, there are limited success stories and examples of a competitive bioeconomy in Africa while levels of poor and food food-insecure populations remain high. Drawing on the novel concepts of biomass value-web, national innovation system and Porter's Diamond model, this paper analyses the emerging biomass opportunities and institutional challenges limiting sustainable bioeconomy growth in Africa. Using the Nigerian maize sector as a case study, qualitative data obtained from 54 stakeholders through 14 interviews, six focus group discussions, and six Net-maps served as a foundation for our network and content analyses. Results revealed numerous opportunities to further upgrade the current maize biomass value-web. However, the challenges of low farm productivity, inadequate infrastructure, low biomass demand and utilization by industrial firms at the mid-stream, deficient innovation and support systems and inconsistent government plans pivoted on several institutional challenges such as weak and uncoordinated institutional arrangements and an unfavorable institutional environment to limit competitive bioeconomy growth in the sector. The study concludes that important institutions in various innovation subsystems would need to actively perform harmonizing activities within a favorable institutional environment before competitive bioeconomy growth can be attained in Africa.

Food Security and Climate Change: Differences in Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Rural Communities in the Global South and North

This research highlights the mismatch between food security and climate adaptation literature and practice in the Global North and South by focusing on nested case studies in rural India and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but also has one of the largest wealth gaps. Comparatively, India has one of the largest populations of food insecure people. To demonstrate how adaptive food security approaches to climate change will differ, we first review the unique climate, agricultural, demographic, and socio-economic features; and then compare challenges and solutions to food security posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While both countries rely on rural, low-income farmworkers to produce food, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how agricultural and food security policies differ in their influence on both food insecurity and global hunger alike. Emphasis on agricultural production in developing regions where a majority of individuals living in rural areas are smallholder subsistence farmers will benefit the majority of the population in terms of both poverty alleviation and food production. In the Global North, an emphasis on food access and availability is necessary because rural food insecure populations are often disconnected from food production.

Mobile Pantries Can Serve the Most Food Insecure Populations.

Purpose: Food insecurity is an urgent crisis in the United States, with one in nine people lacking a consistent source of the food necessary for an active and healthy lifestyle. This crisis is particularly dire in Maricopa County, Arizona, where 1 in 5 children experience food insecurity, and >1 in 10 residents experience poverty. Mobile food pantries offer an additional resource to address food insecurity; however, there is minimal knowledge about how communities utilize these food distributors.Background: Research on the elderly (people >60 years) and immigrant populations shows that these populations are especially vulnerable to food insecurity. The risk these groups face is compounded in Maricopa County, the 15th largest county in the country with minimal public transit to extant resources. Mobile food pantries offer one solution to this issue, bringing groceries and other important items directly to communities.Methods: This study utilizes data from a food pantry called “Phoenix Rescue Mission” (PRM) on food insecure people's use of PRM's mobile and brick-and-mortar pantries, as well as census data. Using GIS mapping and a multinomial logistic regression model, this research identifies how different demographic groups engage with PRM's brick-and-mortar or mobile pantries.Results: Findings indicate that people aged 60–80 years and immigrant people of color are more likely to use both mobile and brick-and-mortar pantries.Conclusions: This research suggests that mobile pantries can reach the most food insecure populations and local nonprofits and governments can consider implementing mobile pantries to reach food insecure communities.

The UnProcessed Pantry Project (UP3): A Community-Based Intervention Aimed to Reduce Ultra-Processed Food Intake Among Food Pantry Clients.

Low-income populations are more likely to experience food and nutrition insecurity and suffer a greater burden of noncommunicable disease than the general population. The UnProcessed Pantry Project (UP3) is an intervention aimed to reduce ultra-processed food availability and consumption of food pantry clients accessing the emergency food system. The pilot study included nutrition education, food boxes, and social support for 16 weeks at 2 food pantries. Data collection included the ASA24 dietary recall to calculate Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores, biomarkers (hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index [BMI]), and a demographic and psychosocial survey. Dietary quality among 43 participants significantly (P < .05) improved as measured by the HEI-2015 for total HEI-2015, whole grains, total protein foods, and added sugars scores. BMI, total cholesterol, and waist circumference also significantly improved across study participants. Findings indicate that the emergency food system may be an effective access point to apply frameworks including UP3 to address ultra-processed food consumption, dietary quality, and noncommunicable chronic disease risk among food-insecure populations. Programs and policies that limit the amount of ultra-processed food in the emergency food system should be further tested and could be efficacious in addressing inequities among vulnerable populations.

Identifying future partner agencies: helping Brazos Valley Food Bank in the fight against food insecurity

Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB) is a non-profit organization in the Bryan-College Station area of Texas. It distributes food supplies through partner agencies and special programs to eradicate hunger in Brazos Valley. However, a big gap exists between the meals distributed by BVFB and the size of the food-insecure population. This research is motivated by BVFB’s desire to reach more people by recruiting more sustainable partner agencies. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map food desert areas lacking access to nutritious food. We combined expert knowledge with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) to address the challenges and time consumption of manually identifying sustainable partner agencies for local food delivery. We identified evaluation criteria for all agencies based on BVFB managers’ preferences using a qualitative approach, and then applied three quantitative decision-making models: the Weighted Sum Model (WSM), the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and the Multi-criteria Optimization and Compromise Solution (VIKOR) models to obtain ranking results. We compared the quantitative models’ rankings to BVFB managers’ manual choices and discussed the impacts of our research. The key innovation of the research is to develop a mixed method by combining expert knowledge with mathematical decision models and GIS to support spatial decision making in food distribution. Although our results were specific to BVFB, these procedures can be applied to food banks in general. Future studies include finetuning our models to measure and address human biases, wider applications and more data collections.

Community-Based and System-Level Interventions for Improving Food Security and Nutritious Food Consumption: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT As studies examining the effectiveness of food security interventions collectively are sparse, this review examined the most effective community-based and system-level interventions that have increased nutritious food consumption across food-insecure populations. Following PRISMA-guidelines, 22 articles included were classified into six categories: Educational and Behavioral Programs; Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Programs; Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer; Discounted Food Options; Emergency Food Assistance Programs; and Multicomponent Programs. This review concludes that future considerations for positively impacting food security and nutritious food intake should give attention to community and system-level multicomponent interventions that address the specific social and economic barriers facing the target population.

Experiences of increased food insecurity, economic and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-enrolled food pantry clients.

The COVID-19 pandemic initially doubled the rates of food insecurity across the USA and tripled rates among households with children. Despite the association among food insecurity, chronic disease and psychological distress, narratives depicting the experiences of already food insecure populations are notably underrepresented in the literature. The current study assessed the impact of COVID-19 on clients of a food pantry who were also enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A qualitative study probing the effects of the pandemic on daily living, food needs, food buying and food insecurity. Interview transcripts were analysed using a combined deductive and inductive approach. Interviews were conducted via telephone between May and June of 2020. Equal numbers of English- and Spanish-speaking clients (n 40 total). Three main findings emerged: (1) the pandemic increased economic distress, such as from job loss or increased utility bills due to sustained home occupancy and (2) the pandemic increased food needs, food prices and food shortages. In combination with economic stressors, this led to greater food insecurity; (3) increased economic stress and food insecurity contributed to increased psychological stress, such as from fear of infection, isolation and children being confined at home. Despite federal legislation and state and local programmes to alleviate food insecurity, COVID-19 exacerbated economic hardship, food insecurity and psychological distress among urban SNAP and food pantry clients. Additional research is needed to identify the most effective policies and programmes to ameliorate the short- and long-term health and economic inequities exacerbated by the pandemic.

Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing a Clinic-Integrated Food Prescription Plus Culinary Medicine Program in a Low-Income Food Insecure Population: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundFood prescription and culinary medicine programs are gaining popularity as tools for decreasing food insecurity, increasing personal agency, promoting healthy eating, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. However, there is a gap in understanding of how health care professionals can deliver evidence-based how-to nutrition information that is tailored for culturally diverse, low-income populations. ObjectiveTo understand the barriers and facilitators for healthy eating among a low-income, diverse population with diabetes, and the gaps in knowledge and training needed for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN) to address patient barriers when implementing a food prescription and CM program in a healthcare setting. DesignA series of nine focus groups were conducted: six focus groups with patients with diabetes (n = 40) (three in English and three in Spanish) and three focus groups with RDN employees (n = 17). Participants/settingA convenience sample of 40 low-income food insecure patients with diabetes receiving care at a diverse, integrated, safety net health care system in an urban setting in Texas and convenience sample of 17 RDN employees. Statistical analysisAll focus group transcripts were examined by independent reviewers and blind catalogued and organized into common themes and subthemes based on constant comparative methodology. Investigator group consensus was reached on emergent themes and subthemes for the respective focus groups. ResultsPatients reported frustration with mixed dietary messages from different health care providers, lack of culturally inclusive recommendations, and a desire for skills to prepare tasty and healthy food. RDNs desired more training and education in cultural humility, culinary nutrition skills, and behavioral change theory. ConclusionsOur study describes how cultural humility, practical culinary nutrition skills, and consistent and coordinated messaging can help to improve patient nutrition care. Before implementation of a food prescription and culinary medicine program, efforts should promote training of RDN staff in culinary nutrition and related areas to increase acceptability and adherence of the program for patients.

Seasonal cues to food scarcity and calorie cravings: Winter cues elicit preferences for energy-dense foods

Winter cues signal a scarcity of food. Birds and mammals respond to such environmental cues by consuming more energy. They convert this surplus into body fat that serves as a buffer against impending food shortages. Similarly, humans exhibit higher obesity rates among food-insecure populations. However, to date, it has been unclear whether winter cues qualitatively affect consumers’ food preferences. Results from five studies (N = 865), with one of them preregistered, show that watching videos depicting winter cues elicits thoughts about energy-dense foods and survival. Such cues elicit higher preferences for energy-dense than low-calorie foods, as verified by meta-analytic evidence, with this effect likely differing between women and men. Taken together, our results support an evolutionary account postulating that humans have developed sex-specific responses to perceivable cues of food scarcity. As a result, winter cues induce people to favor products they deem higher in calories. Given the importance of limiting energy-dense food consumption for addressing environmental and public health issues, policymakers and marketers should be aware of this phenomenon when designing public communication campaigns.

The association between household food insecurity and obesity in Mexico: a cross-sectional study of ENSANUT MC 2016.

To examine the association between household food insecurity and overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity in Mexican adults. Cross-sectional study. We analysed data from the Mexican Halfway National Health and Nutrition Survey 2016, a nationally representative survey that accounted for rural and urban areas in four regions of Mexico: North, Centre, Mexico City and South. Adults from 20 to 59 years old (n 5456, which represents 45804210 individuals at the national level). 70·8 % of the Mexican adults had some degree of household food insecurity. This situation showed larger proportions (P < 0·05) among indigenous people, those living in a rural area, in the Southern region or the lowest socio-economic quintiles. The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was higher in female adults (P < 0·001), with the highest proportions occurring among those experiencing severe household food insecurity. Among women, mean BMI and waist circumference were higher as household food insecurity levels increased (P < 0·001). According to multivariate logistic regression models, severe household food insecurity showed to be positively associated with obesity (OR: 2·36; P = 0·001) in Mexican adult females. Our findings confirm the association between household food insecurity and obesity among Mexican women. Given the socio-demographic characteristics of the food-insecure population, it is alarming that prevailing socio-economic inequalities in the country might also be contributing to the likelihood of obesity. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain and bolster surveillance systems to track both problems and implement adequate policies and interventions.

Exploring differential item functioning on eating disorder measures by food security status.

Food insecurity is associated with elevated eating disorder (ED) pathology, yet commonly used ED measures may not fully capture ED pathology in the context of food insecurity. The present study used differential item functioning (DIF) analyses to explore whether item endorsement on two commonly used ED questionnaires differed by food security status. Participants were 634 cisgender women recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. DIF was explored for items on the Short Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q) and the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5 (EDDS-5). DIF analyses used a hybrid ordinal logistic regression/item response theory approach, with the presence of both statistical (p < .01) and clinical significance (pseudo ΔR2 ≥ .035) indicating DIF. There was no evidence of clinically significant DIF within the S-EDE-Q. Two items on the EDDS-5 exhibited statistically and clinically significant DIF, with moderate effect sizes. Specifically, compared to food-secure participants, food-insecure participants were more likely to report (1) eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry and (2) feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty about overeating at lower levels of overall ED pathology but less likely to report these experiences at higher levels of overall ED pathology. Findings highlight a potential need to adapt ED measures to fully capture ED pathology in food-insecure populations. Level III, well-designed cohort study.

Proxy longitudinal indicators of household food insecurity in the UK

Background: Rising food bank usage in the UK suggests a growing prevalence of food insecurity. However, a formalised, representative measure of food insecurity was not collected in the UK until 2019, over a decade after the initial proliferation of food bank demand. In the absence of a direct measure of food insecurity, this article identifies and summarises longitudinal proxy indicators of UK food insecurity to gain insight into the growth of insecure access to food in the 21st century. Methods: A rapid evidence synthesis of academic and grey literature (2005–present) identified candidate proxy longitudinal markers of food insecurity. These were assessed to gain insight into the prevalence of, or conditions associated with, food insecurity. Results: Food bank data clearly demonstrates increased food insecurity. However, this data reflects an unrepresentative, fractional proportion of the food insecure population without accounting for mild/moderate insecurity, or those in need not accessing provision. Economic indicators demonstrate that a period of poor overall UK growth since 2005 has disproportionately impacted the poorest households, likely increasing vulnerability and incidence of food insecurity. This vulnerability has been exacerbated by welfare reform for some households. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically intensified vulnerabilities and food insecurity. Diet-related health outcomes suggest a reduction in diet quantity/quality. The causes of diet-related disease are complex and diverse; however, evidence of socio-economic inequalities in their incidence suggests poverty, and by extension, food insecurity, as key determinants. Conclusion: Proxy measures of food insecurity suggest a significant increase since 2005, particularly for severe food insecurity. Proxy measures are inadequate to robustly assess the prevalence of food insecurity in the UK. Failure to collect standardised, representative data at the point at which food bank usage increased significantly impairs attempts to determine the full prevalence of food insecurity, understand the causes, and identify those most at risk.

Proxy longitudinal indicators of household food insecurity in the UK

Background: Rising food bank usage in the UK suggests a growing prevalence of food insecurity. However, a formalised, representative measure of food insecurity was not collected in the UK until 2019, over a decade after the initial proliferation of food bank demand. In the absence of a direct measure of food insecurity, this article identifies and summarises longitudinal proxy indicators of UK food insecurity to gain insight into the growth of insecure access to food in the 21st century. Methods: A rapid evidence synthesis of academic and grey literature (2005–present) identified candidate proxy longitudinal markers of food insecurity. These were assessed to gain insight into the prevalence of, or conditions associated with, food insecurity. Results: Food bank data clearly demonstrates increased food insecurity. However, this data reflects an unrepresentative, fractional proportion of the food insecure population without accounting for mild/moderate insecurity, or those in need not accessing provision. Economic indicators demonstrate that a period of poor overall UK growth since 2005 has disproportionately impacted the poorest households, likely increasing vulnerability and incidence of food insecurity. This vulnerability has been exacerbated by welfare reform for some households. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically intensified vulnerabilities and food insecurity. Diet-related health outcomes suggest a reduction in diet quantity/quality. The causes of diet-related disease are complex and diverse; however, evidence of socio-economic inequalities in their incidence suggests poverty, and by extension, food insecurity, as key determinants. Conclusion: Proxy measures of food insecurity suggest a significant increase since 2005, particularly for severe food insecurity. Proxy measures are inadequate to robustly assess the prevalence of food insecurity in the UK. Failure to collect standardised, representative data at the point at which food bank usage increased significantly impairs attempts to determine the full prevalence of food insecurity, understand the causes, and identify those most at risk.

Nutrient Dense, Low-Cost Foods Can Improve the Affordability and Quality of the New Zealand Diet-A Substitution Modeling Study.

The high prevalence of non-communicable disease in New Zealand (NZ) is driven in part by unhealthy diet selections, with food costs contributing to an increased risk for vulnerable population groups. This study aimed to: (i) identify the nutrient density-to-cost ratio of NZ foods; (ii) model the impact of substituting foods with a lower nutrient density-to-cost ratio with those with a higher nutrient density-to-cost ratio on diet quality and affordability in representative NZ population samples for low and medium socioeconomic status (SES) households by ethnicity; and (iii) evaluate food processing level. Foods were categorized, coded for processing level and discretionary status, analyzed for nutrient density and cost, and ranked by nutrient density-to-cost ratio. The top quartile of nutrient dense, low-cost foods were 56% unprocessed (vegetables, fruit, porridge, pasta, rice, nuts/seeds), 31% ultra-processed (vegetable dishes, fortified bread, breakfast cereals unfortified <15 g sugars/100 g and fortified 15–30 g sugars/100 g), 6% processed (fruit juice), and 6% culinary processed (oils). Using substitution modeling, diet quality improved by 59% and 71% for adults and children, respectively, and affordability increased by 20–24%, depending on ethnicity and SES. The NZ diet can be made healthier and more affordable when nutritious, low-cost foods are selected. Processing levels in the healthier, modeled diet suggest that some non-discretionary ultra-processed foods may provide a valuable source of low-cost nutrition for food insecure populations.

O33 Healthy Eating Perspectives and Food Literacy Needs of Parents Living with Food Insecurity

<h3>Background</h3> A healthy home depends on parents' health behaviors, nutrition knowledge, food literacy skills, and confidence in making healthy choices. Parents who lack these foundational skills are ill-equipped to model and encourage healthy family habits. Additionally, when parents also face economic barriers that limit food access while struggling with foundational food knowledge and skills, the ability to create a healthy home is diminished even further. Therefore, parental nutrition education programs delivered within an emergency food pantry (EFP) are valuable in targeting food insecure populations. Despite the value of nutrition education programs, little is known about parents' perspectives and barriers that influence their understanding and application of nutrition education to successfully provide a healthful home food environment. <h3>Objective</h3> To explore the barriers to, perspectives on, and nutrition education needs to support healthy eating identified by food-insecure parents within an EFP. <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> In Spring 2019, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted using focus groups with low-income parents recruited from a parenting class run by Catholic Social Services in southeastern Pennsylvania. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. <h3>Results</h3> Nine parents participated in the focus group (2 males and 7 females). Most were under 40 years-of-age, high school graduates, received federal nutrition assistance, and experienced food insecurity. Four themes emerged: 1) Cooking Confidence Deficit; 2) Healthy Meal Preparation Barriers; 3) Healthy Meal Acceptance Barriers; and 4) Meal Planning, Management, and Adaptability. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Emergent themes support the notion that limited food literacy impairs parents' ability to meet personal and familial nutrition needs. These findings also emphasize the need to develop and evaluate comprehensive and population-specific food literacy programs to promote community health within EFP settings.

Food insecurity and its associations with bulimic-spectrum eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

PurposeTo examine cross-sectional associations between food insecurity and 12-month eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders among U.S. adults.MethodsThis study used data collected between 2001 and 2003 from 2914 participants in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (mean age = 44.9 years; 53.4% female). Twelve-month food insecurity was assessed with a modified version of the Short Form U.S. Household Food Security Scale. Twelve-month DSM-IV diagnoses of mental disorders were based on the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Modified Poisson regression models were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and income-to-poverty ratio.ResultsFood insecurity was experienced by 11.1% of participants. Food insecurity was associated with greater prevalence of bulimic-spectrum eating disorders (prevalence ratio [PR] = 3.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.26–6.42), mood disorders (PR = 2.53; 95% CI 1.96–3.29), and anxiety disorders (PR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.39–2.07).ConclusionResults indicate that food insecurity is associated with a range of internalizing mental disorders, though these findings should be confirmed with contemporary data to reflect DSM-5 diagnostic updates and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study emphasize the need to expand food insecurity interventions and improve access to mental health services for food-insecure populations.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00127-021-02126-5.

Foliar Potassium Sulfate Application Improved Photosynthetic Characteristics, Water Relations and Seedling Growth of Drought-Stressed Maize

Changing climates and frequent spells of drought have increased the risk of crop failure, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, thus multiplying the vulnerability of food-insecure populations. The exogenous application of potassium (K) can potentially ameliorate the adverse effects of drought in maize by maintaining cell osmotic potential and turgidity, provided its optimum doses are applied. The present experiment comprised two maize cultivars, viz. Islamabad Gold (drought tolerant) and Azam (drought susceptible), grown under well-watered (80% water-holding capacity (WHC)), mild drought (60% WHC) and severe drought (40% WHC) conditions. Different doses of K, viz. 0%, 1% and 2%, were also tested to screen out the most superior concentration. Drought stress markedly reduced root and shoot lengths (25% and 16%, respectively) along with their dry weights (20% and 10%, respectively). Moreover, a substantial reduction in leaf relative water content (RWC) (24%), stomatal conductance, transpiration and photosynthesis rates, chlorophyll pigments a, b and total chlorophyll contents (31%) were recorded, compared with well-watered conditions. However, foliar application of K2SO4 at 2% concentration outperformed other doses by improving growth attributes, RWC (10%), total chlorophyll (9%) and proline (12%) under severe drought conditions. Our findings confirmed the effectiveness of foliage-applied K2SO4 in ameliorating drought effects in rainfed maize; however, more doses and sources of K could be tested for developing it as a potent source to cope with water stress.