A systematic review and meta-analysis of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders in US adults with food Insecurity

This 2019 review examined the literature available on the study of the association between food insecurity and depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. A systematic search on 5 research libraries produced 57 studies that assessed the relationship between food insecurity and depression (n = 169,433), 13 on the link with anxiety and psychological distress (n = 91,957), and 8 studies on sleep disorders (n = 85,788). The meta-analyses performed revealed several correlations between food insecurity with increased risks of depression [odds ratio (OR) = 2.74], anxiety (OR = 2.41), and sleep disorders (OR = 1.80). These results were robust to covariates and population groups. Thus, food insecurity was strongly associated with risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders, although Arenas et al. bring up the need for additional longitudinal studies that would improve understanding of effect sizes and causal relationships. [NPID: food insecurity, mental health, food insecurity, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, psychological distress, sleep disorders]

Year: 2019

Reference: Arenas, D. J., Thomas, A., Wang, J., & DeLisser, H. M. (2019). A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Disorders in US Adults with Food Insecurity. Journal of general internal medicine, 34(12), 2874–2882. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05202-4