Food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Health Nutr
; 25(1): 76-81, 2022 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1361603
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To estimate the association between food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional study. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation.SETTING:
US Census Household Pulse Survey data collected in October 2020.PARTICIPANTS:
Nationally representative sample of 68 611 US adults.RESULTS:
After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, experiencing food insufficiency was associated with higher odds of unmet mental health need (adjusted OR (AOR) 2·90; 95 % CI 2·46, 3·43), receiving mental health counselling or therapy (AOR 1·51; 95 % CI 1·24, 1·83) and psychotropic medication use (AOR 1·56; 95 % CI 1·35, 1·80). Anxiety and depression symptoms mediated most of the association between food insufficiency and unmet mental health need but not the associations between food insufficiency and either receiving mental health counselling/therapy or psychotropic medication use.CONCLUSIONS:
Clinicians should regularly screen patients for food insufficiency, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanding access to supplemental food programmes may help to mitigate the need for higher mental health service utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Public Health Nutr
Journal subject:
Nutritional Sciences
/
Public Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S1368980021003001
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