The impact of drought on the association between food security and mental health in a nationally representative Australian sample

BMC Public Health

Helen L Walls²  Léan O’Brien⁴  Huong Dinh³  Helen Berry⁴  Sharon Friel¹ 

[1] National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia;London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK;Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia;Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia

关键词: Australia;    Rural;    Urban;    Mental health;    Food insecurity;    Drought;    Climate change;   

Others  :  1125957
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-14-1102

 received in 2013-10-02, accepted in 2014-10-06,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

The association between food insecurity and mental health is established. Increasingly, associations between drought and mental health and drought and food insecurity have been observed in a number of countries. The impact of drought on the association between food insecurity and mental health has received little attention.

Methods

Population-based study using data from a nationally representative panel survey of Australian adults in which participants report behaviour, health, social, economic and demographic information annually. Exposure to drought was modelled using annual rainfall data during Australia’s ‘Big Dry’. Regression modelling examined associations between drought and three indicative measures of food insecurity and mental health, controlling for confounding factors.

Results

People who reported missing meals due to financial stress reported borderline moderate/high distress levels. People who consumed below-average levels of core foods reported more distress than those who consumed above the average level, while people consuming discretionary foods above the average level reported greater distress than those consuming below the threshold. In all drought exposure categories, people missing meals due to cost reported higher psychological distress than those not missing meals. Compared to drought-unadjusted psychological distress levels, in most drought categories, people consuming higher-than-average discretionary food levels reported higher levels of distress.

Conclusions

Exposure to drought moderates the association between measures of food insecurity and psychological distress, generally increasing the distress level. Climate adaptation strategies that consider social, nutrition and health impacts are needed.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Friel et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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