Food insecurity and Psychosocial well-being: A Malawian study


Godfred Boateng, York University

Food insecurity refers to a condition whereby individuals and or households have little or no access to adequate and or nutritious food (1). Globally, food insecurity has been on the rise since 2015 (2). As of 2020, between 720 and 811 million people were food insecure globally (2). The top regions contributing to this number are Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean (2). Unlike the physical impacts of food insecurity which are heavily discussed, the non-physical impacts of it are seldom discussed (2). For instance, the impact of food insecurity on people’s psychosocial well-being (2). Studies in Saharan Africa show that there is an association between food insecurity and psychosocial health outcomes and the consensus is that food insecurity correlates with the prevalence of poor psychosocial health outcomes (1,2,3,4,5). However, only a few studies were conducted in countries such as Malawi. For example, this relationship was not examined in informal settlements or slums. this current paper aims to examine the relationship between food insecurity and psychosocial health outcomes (stress, anxiety, and depression) in Malawian informal settlements and slums. We hypothesize that an increase in food insecurity will be associated with an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression. The data retrieved for this study was collected via the administration of surveys to the population, as well as through interviews that were conducted at the homes or workplaces of residents. The outcome variables were measured using scales that asked participants questions that indicated the presence of stress, anxiety, and depression in relation to accessing food. A bivariate and multivariate analysis of variables was conducted using STATA to assess the relationship between household food insecurity (HFIA) and the outcome variables respectively. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Notre Dame granted ethical approval to conduct this study. Associations between HFIA and stress, anxiety, and depression were statistically significant, with an increase in food insecurity corresponding to an increase in the experience of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Non-presenting author: Igor Akomaye, York University

This paper will be presented at the following session: