Food insecurity and child health, maternal mental health, and coping mechanisms

Abstract

Background: Household food insecurity is among the leading causes of malnutrition due to the lack of availability, access, and utilization of food resources. Since the year 2020, with the rise of covid 19 and the economic crisis taking place, the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger widely increased affecting millions of families especially mothers and children worldwide. Aim: limited research exists in Lebanon that tackles the effect of household food insecurity from several aspects. This study aims to find the association of household food insecurity with the children aged under 5 nutrition, the maternal mental health, and coping mechanisms used. Methods : the study is a cross-sectional observational study. A survey was used to assess 67 mothers of children aged less than 5 years old, which consisted of 3 sections a background information section, the HFISA section for food insecurity screening, and the PHQ section to screen depression in mothers. All participants lived in Lebanon either in Beirut or in south Lebanon. Data was analyzed using Microsoft excel and SPSS. Findings: No correlation was found between household’s food insecurity and child’s growth. A strong negative correlation was found between the HFISA score and the PHQ score where as Household food insecurity increased, maternal depression increased. The maternal education level was also significantly negatively correlated with household food insecurity. As for the coping mechanisms, 50.7% of the participants resorted to eating foods they dislike, and 62.7% reported eating smaller and fewer meals.

Conclusion: it’s important to tackle food insecurity in Lebanon and worldwide, and to find solutions to minimize its effects on maternal mental health and child nutrition such as raising awareness on possible coping mechanisms among all mothers susceptible to food insecurity