Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents
Background: Food insecurity (FI) represents a critical public health concern, particularly for adolescents, as it compromises nutritional intake and mental health during crucial developmental stages. Objectives: This study examines the associations between FI and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Current Developments in Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125029142 |
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| author | Emily Cisneros-Vásquez Lee Smith Rodrigo Yañéz-Sepúlveda Jorge Olivares-Arancibia Héctor Gutiérrez-Espinoza Dong Keon Yon Jae Il Shin José Francisco López-Gil |
| author_facet | Emily Cisneros-Vásquez Lee Smith Rodrigo Yañéz-Sepúlveda Jorge Olivares-Arancibia Héctor Gutiérrez-Espinoza Dong Keon Yon Jae Il Shin José Francisco López-Gil |
| author_sort | Emily Cisneros-Vásquez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Food insecurity (FI) represents a critical public health concern, particularly for adolescents, as it compromises nutritional intake and mental health during crucial developmental stages. Objectives: This study examines the associations between FI and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of 712 adolescents aged 12–17 y from Valle de Ricote, Region of Murcia, Spain. Methods: Data were sourced from the cross-sectional “Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities” study. FI was assessed via the Child Food Security Survey Module, whereas mental health symptoms were evaluated via the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Generalized linear models adjusted for socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and anthropometric variables were employed to estimate the relationships between FI and psychological outcomes. Results: Of the 712 adolescents (median age 14 y; 56% girls), 16.2% experienced FI. These adolescents had significantly greater risks of mental health symptoms: the likelihood of experiencing depression, anxiety, and stress was 2–3 times greater than that of their food-secure peers (odds ratios ranging from 2.45 to 3.35). Notably, the predicted probabilities of experiencing symptoms of anxiety and stress among food-insecure adolescents were 39.2% and 43.5%, respectively, whereas they were 16.1% and 19.8%, respectively, among their food-secure peers (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Conclusions: These results underscore the profound psychological toll of FI and highlight the necessity of targeted interventions to address this issue. Addressing FI through public health policies and psychosocial programs is essential for mitigating its detrimental impact on adolescent mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa03d4bac4b64808b2f34e060f0adacc |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2475-2991 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Developments in Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa03d4bac4b64808b2f34e060f0adacc2025-08-20T02:33:20ZengElsevierCurrent Developments in Nutrition2475-29912025-06-019610745310.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107453Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in AdolescentsEmily Cisneros-Vásquez0Lee Smith1Rodrigo Yañéz-Sepúlveda2Jorge Olivares-Arancibia3Héctor Gutiérrez-Espinoza4Dong Keon Yon5Jae Il Shin6José Francisco López-Gil7School of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, EcuadorCentre for Health Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Biruni University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Instanbul, TurkeyFaculty Education and Social Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar, ChileAFySE Group, Research in Physical Activity and School Health, School of Physical Education, Faculty of Education, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago, ChileFaculty of Education, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, ChileCenter for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of KoreaSchool of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador; Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Chile; Corresponding author.Background: Food insecurity (FI) represents a critical public health concern, particularly for adolescents, as it compromises nutritional intake and mental health during crucial developmental stages. Objectives: This study examines the associations between FI and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of 712 adolescents aged 12–17 y from Valle de Ricote, Region of Murcia, Spain. Methods: Data were sourced from the cross-sectional “Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities” study. FI was assessed via the Child Food Security Survey Module, whereas mental health symptoms were evaluated via the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Generalized linear models adjusted for socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and anthropometric variables were employed to estimate the relationships between FI and psychological outcomes. Results: Of the 712 adolescents (median age 14 y; 56% girls), 16.2% experienced FI. These adolescents had significantly greater risks of mental health symptoms: the likelihood of experiencing depression, anxiety, and stress was 2–3 times greater than that of their food-secure peers (odds ratios ranging from 2.45 to 3.35). Notably, the predicted probabilities of experiencing symptoms of anxiety and stress among food-insecure adolescents were 39.2% and 43.5%, respectively, whereas they were 16.1% and 19.8%, respectively, among their food-secure peers (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Conclusions: These results underscore the profound psychological toll of FI and highlight the necessity of targeted interventions to address this issue. Addressing FI through public health policies and psychosocial programs is essential for mitigating its detrimental impact on adolescent mental health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125029142adolescentsanxietydepressionfood insecuritymental healthstress |
| spellingShingle | Emily Cisneros-Vásquez Lee Smith Rodrigo Yañéz-Sepúlveda Jorge Olivares-Arancibia Héctor Gutiérrez-Espinoza Dong Keon Yon Jae Il Shin José Francisco López-Gil Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents Current Developments in Nutrition adolescents anxiety depression food insecurity mental health stress |
| title | Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents |
| title_full | Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents |
| title_short | Beyond Hunger: Uncovering the Link between Food Insecurity and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents |
| title_sort | beyond hunger uncovering the link between food insecurity and depression anxiety and stress in adolescents |
| topic | adolescents anxiety depression food insecurity mental health stress |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125029142 |
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