Association of Household Food Insecurity with the Mental and Physical Health of Low-Income Urban Ecuadorian Women with Children
Joint Authors
Weigel, M. Margaret
Racines, Marcia
Armijos, Rodrigo X.
Cevallos, William
Castro, Nancy P.
Source
Journal of Environmental and Public Health
Issue
Vol. 2016, Issue 2016 (31 Dec. 2016), pp.1-14, 14 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2016-09-26
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
14
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Chronic physical and mental health conditions account for a rising proportion of morbidity, mortality, and disability in the Americas region.
Household food insecurity (HFI) has been linked to chronic disease in US and Canadian women but it is uncertain if the same is true for low- and middle-income Latin American countries in epidemiologic transition.
We conducted a survey to investigate the association of HFI with the physical and mental health of 794 women with children living in low-income Quito, Ecuador, neighborhoods.
Data were collected on HFI and health indicators including self-reported health (SF-1), mental health (MHI-5), blood pressure, and self-reported mental and physical health complaints.
Fasting blood glucose and lipids were measured in a subsample.
The multivariate analyses revealed that HFI was associated with poorer self-rated health, low MHI-5 scores, and mental health complaints including stress, depression, and ethnospecific illnesses.
It was also associated with chest tightness/discomfort/pain, dental disease, and gastrointestinal illness but not other conditions.
The findings suggest that improving food security in low-income households may help reduce the burden of mental distress in women with children.
The hypothesized link with diabetes and hypertension may become more apparent as Ecuador moves further along in the epidemiologic transition.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Weigel, M. Margaret& Armijos, Rodrigo X.& Racines, Marcia& Cevallos, William& Castro, Nancy P.. 2016. Association of Household Food Insecurity with the Mental and Physical Health of Low-Income Urban Ecuadorian Women with Children. Journal of Environmental and Public Health،Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-14.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1108524
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Weigel, M. Margaret…[et al.]. Association of Household Food Insecurity with the Mental and Physical Health of Low-Income Urban Ecuadorian Women with Children. Journal of Environmental and Public Health No. 2016 (2016), pp.1-14.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1108524
American Medical Association (AMA)
Weigel, M. Margaret& Armijos, Rodrigo X.& Racines, Marcia& Cevallos, William& Castro, Nancy P.. Association of Household Food Insecurity with the Mental and Physical Health of Low-Income Urban Ecuadorian Women with Children. Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2016. Vol. 2016, no. 2016, pp.1-14.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1108524
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1108524