Tag: mental health

Is Food Insecurity Affecting College Students’ Mental Health and Academic Performance?

Posted on by CNP Staff

Food insecurity affects over 13 million households in the U.S. alone. Food insecurity means having minimal or no access to nutritious and safe foods. While this affects every age bracket of the population ranging from infants to elderly, a recent study by Martinez, Esaryk, Moffat, and Ritchie (2020) wanted to examine the particular effect of food insecurity on the academic performance and mental health of college students.

Costs of living expenses are on the rise and college students are one of numerous populations affected. Many students do not have the ability to live on limited resources and may feel shame in asking for help. Previous studies have shown that in addition to enduring uncomfortable feelings of physical hunger, students experiencing food insecurity also show decreased academic performance. Students as a population report higher levels of depressive feelings and feelings of isolation. 

In the study at hand, Martinez et al. examined the association between food insecurity and academic performance and mental health. Over 8,000 students from the University of California public college system were selected to complete an online survey assessing Grade Point Average (GPA), food insecurity level, and student mental health.  

Food security was assessed through a validated US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 6-item short survey. The USDA short survey categorized food insecurity in the following categories: food secure, low food secure, and very low food secure. 

Students reported their grade point average (G.P.A.), and the National College Health Assessment II survey captured mental health ratings through self-reported feelings of hopelessness, overwhelm, exhaustion, loneliness, sadness, anger, and depression.

Food insecurity affects Students: Of the students included in the study, findings showed that 40% experienced food insecurity. In terms of grades, 51% of food-secure students had a cumulative A average, whereas only 30% of food-insecure students had a cumulative A average. Of those students having a C grade average, 19% of them were food insecure compared to 9% of students that were food-secure.

In terms of mental health indicators, food insecure students had significantly higher proportions of mental health indicators compared to food-secure students. 

These findings show that students experiencing hunger from food insecurity have challenges with concentration that could be affecting their academic performance. The authors state that academic performance and mental health can improve if food insecurity is addressed, and that higher education campus services can be a good place to instill intervention programs to help address food insecurity among university students.

 

References

Martinez, S. M., Frongillo, E. A., Leung, C., & Ritchie, L. (2020). No food for thought: Food insecurity is related to poor mental health and lower academic performance among students in California’s public university system. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(12), 1930–1939. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105318783028

Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbitt, M. P., Gregory, C. and Singh, A. (2020). Household Food Security in the United States in 2019. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/99282/err275_summary.pdf?v=4695.5

 

Suggested Further Reading

Martinez, S. M., Esaryk, E. E., Moffat, L., & Ritchie, L. (2021). Redefining Basic Needs for Higher Education: It’s More Than Minimal Food and Housing According to California University Students. American Journal of Health Promotion, 890117121992295. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117121992295

Wolfson, J. A., Garcia, T., & Leung, C. W. (2021). Food Insecurity Is Associated with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: Evidence from the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States. Health Equity, 5(1), 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2020.0059

 

Child Nutritional Psychology: Diet Increases Risk of Mental Health Issues in Adulthood

Posted on by CNP Staff

Cardiometabolic disorders often occur alongside certain mental health conditions like depression and psychosis. But these disorders are generally deemed an issue for the aging population and not for children, which subsequently leads to indifference regarding the importance of children’s diets.

A study published on the 13th of January 2021 may change this narrative. Following nearly 15,000 children from the ages of 1 to 24 years old, researchers measured fasting insulin levels at age 9, 15, 18, and 24 years of age, alongside repeatedly measuring body mass index.

Importance of children’s diets in relation with Body mass index: When the children reached the age of 24, they completed a semi-structured psychosis-like symptom interview which was used to identify psychotic experiences and symptoms of depression.

After adjusting for confounding variables like sex at birth, race/ethnicity, paternal social class, childhood emotional and behavioral problems along with lifestyle behaviors including smoking, physical activity, alcohol use, substance use, sleep problems, and average calorie intake, what they found was particularly interesting.

Children who had persistently high insulin levels beginning at age 9 were five times more likely to be at risk for psychosis and three times more likely to be diagnosed with a psychotic disorder at 24.

Not only that, but children who had a significant increase in their body mass index around puberty were four times more likely to develop depressive symptoms or experience a depressive episode by the age of 24.

During adolescence, the brain undergoes extensive change and maturation. The area essential for cognitive control is the final region to reach full maturity. Whilst this region is still developing, it is less able to exert control over reward-driven behaviours, like consuming calorie-dense food. Over-consumption of calorie-dense foods is the leading cause of obesity. Unfortunately, the persistent and excessive consumption of calorie-dense foods can lead to changes in the structure and function of the very same region — the prefrontal cortex — which can then result in altered neurotransmitter systems. The development of balance in these systems is in fact critical to obtaining optimal brain function in adulthood.

Appropriate nutrition during this period of neurodevelopment is vital for brain health. Find a link to this study, as well as additional research connecting diet with children’s psychological functioning in the Diet, Depression & Anxiety research category within CNP’s Parent Research Library.

 

References

Perry, B.I., Stochl, J., Upthegrove, R., et al. (2021). Longitudinal Trends in Childhood Insulin Levels and Body Mass Index and Associations With Risks of Psychosis and Depression in Young Adults. JAMA Psychiatry. DOI:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4180

Diet Quality and Mental Health Amongst Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Patients

Posted on by CNP Staff

Taking into consideration the global shift to a diet rich in refined carbohydrates, this exploratory study examined the self-reported dietary habits of psychiatric inpatients in the psychiatric unit of an academic hospital.

After gathering a detailed diet history of patients’ food habits, findings were compared to a Mediterranean dietary index to assess patient dietary patterns. Findings showed that 75% of the psychiatric inpatients had an unhealthy diet, and that inpatients with schizophrenia had highly significant increased sugar consumption.

The study authors expressed concern that unhealthy dietary habits cause deficiencies in essential nutrients and minerals and can exacerbate mental illnesses. They also expressed that while the causes of mental health conditions are multifactorial and can be partially attributed to the social impairment and diminished quality of self-care resulting from mental illness, improved dietary habits may contribute to more rapid symptoms resolution and acute stabilization in short-stay psychiatric inpatient units.

The authors also conclude that while unhealthy food and inactivity have been part of the culture of mental health treatment historically, recommendations and encouragement to follow national guidelines for dietary and exercise practices should be part of care for all people with mental illness.

The authors further state that while mental health practitioners may not feel competent to provide advice on nutrition and diet, the evidence suggests that detailed advice may not be necessary. Read the full, original study here.

 

References

Gill, R., Tyndall, S. F., Vora, D., Hasan, R., Megna, J. L., & Leontieva, L. (2021). Diet Quality and Mental Health Amongst Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Patients. Cureus, 13(1), e12434. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.12434

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