Hunger and Mental Health: The Link Between Food Insecurity and Depression
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
28-4-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
28-4-2026 2:00 PM
Description
Food insecurity remains a significant public health concern in the United States, particularly among lower socioeconomic households. In 2024, approximately 18.3 million households experienced food insecurity, which has been linked to higher rates of depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine how food security status affects depressive symptoms among adults using data from the NHANES 2021 - 12023 cycle. Responses to the PHQ-9 Depression Screener and the Food Security Questionnaire (FSQ) rwere analyzed to determine whether depression scores differ across food security levels and whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) contributes to these differences. Results showed a significant difference in depression scores across levels of food security but not based on metabolic syndrome. There was a highly significant positive relationship between low and very low food security and depression (p < .001 ), with an effect size of w2 = .071, indicating that food security accounted for 7.1 % of the variance in depressive scores. These findings suggest that food insecurity may be a more salient predictor of depression than metabolic syndrome in this sample and highlight the importance of screening for food security in mental health settings.
Recommended Citation
Brisco, Marion; Andry, Jenny; and Ferez, Madyson, "Hunger and Mental Health: The Link Between Food Insecurity and Depression" (2026). School of Allied Health Professions Research Day. 32.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/ahrd/2026/posters/32
Hunger and Mental Health: The Link Between Food Insecurity and Depression
Food insecurity remains a significant public health concern in the United States, particularly among lower socioeconomic households. In 2024, approximately 18.3 million households experienced food insecurity, which has been linked to higher rates of depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine how food security status affects depressive symptoms among adults using data from the NHANES 2021 - 12023 cycle. Responses to the PHQ-9 Depression Screener and the Food Security Questionnaire (FSQ) rwere analyzed to determine whether depression scores differ across food security levels and whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) contributes to these differences. Results showed a significant difference in depression scores across levels of food security but not based on metabolic syndrome. There was a highly significant positive relationship between low and very low food security and depression (p < .001 ), with an effect size of w2 = .071, indicating that food security accounted for 7.1 % of the variance in depressive scores. These findings suggest that food insecurity may be a more salient predictor of depression than metabolic syndrome in this sample and highlight the importance of screening for food security in mental health settings.