The Link between Food Security and Life Satisfaction: Panel Data Analysis

Mediation analysis of mental health characteristics linking social needs to life satisfaction among immigrants

Background

Life satisfaction contributes to improved long and healthy lives, enhanced biological function, better mental health, and decreased mortality risks. Social needs (e.g., food security, employment, healthcare utilization) are important determinants of mental health and life satisfaction among immigrants. However, there is limited literature on how social needs influence mental health, which, in turn, affects life satisfaction among immigrants. We examined whether mental health influences the mechanisms of the relationship between social needs and life satisfaction among immigrants.

Methods

We used the 2021 cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey data on U.S. immigrants (n = 4320) aged ≥18 years. We conducted weighted mediation analyses with multiple linear regression. Life satisfaction (scores 0-10; ≥1 as higher life satisfaction) was the dependent variable; independent variables were food security, employment, and healthcare utilization; and the mediator, serious psychological distress (SPD: scores 0-24; ≥1 as higher SPD).

Results

The total effect (not accounting for SPD) of food insecurity (vs. secure) on life satisfaction was negative (β = -0.61, p < 0.001); the direct effect (after accounting for SPD) was not statistically significant (β = -0.21, p = 0.153), while the indirect effect (food insecurity's effect explained by SPD) was negative (β = -0.40, p < 0.001). The total (β = 0.32, p < 0.001), direct (β = 0.24, p = 0.004), and indirect (β = 0.09, p = 0.006) effects of being employed (vs. unemployed) on life satisfaction were positive. The total (β = -0.12, p = 0.116) and direct (β = -0.03, p = 0.683) effects of healthcare utilization within the past year (vs. more than a year) on life satisfaction were not statistically significant, whereas the indirect effect was negative (β = -0.09, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

SPD mediates the effect of food security, healthcare utilization, and employment on life satisfaction, suggesting the need to improve social needs and mental health among immigrants.

Food Insecurity during the Pandemic in South Korea: The Effects of University Students' Perceived Food Insecurity on Psychological Well-Being, Self-Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction

This study examined the impact of university students' perceptions of food insecurity on psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction and observed that the students' gender plays a moderating role in this causal relationship, based on a total of 491 university students who participated in this empirical study. This study used SPSS (Version 22.0) and AMOS (Version 20.0) for the analyses. This study examines the structural relationship of this causal model. Our findings suggest that students' perceived food insecurity negatively affects the status of their psychological well-being and self-efficacy. However, contrary to expectations, perceived food insecurity has no negative effects on students' life satisfaction. In addition, the level of students' psychological well-being positively influences their life satisfaction, while self-efficacy does not. The moderating effects of gender differences in this research were also disclosed. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Drivers of food security in West Africa: Insight from heterogeneous panel data analysis on income-level classification

This paper investigates the factors driving food security in West African countries. Specifically, it examines the impact of natural resource rents, institutional quality, and climate change on food security while controlling for industrialization and economic growth. Our research is motivated by the urgent need for swift policy action to address the escalating food crisis in the region and prevent any potential catastrophic consequences. Second-generation econometric techniques are utilized for accurate and reliable outcomes based on yearly datasets from West African countries from 2000 to 2020, and the countries are sub-grouped into low-income and lower-middle-income. The findings unveil the panel as heterogeneous and cross-sectionally based, and all the study variables are first differenced stationary and co-integrated in the long run. Hence, the Augmented Mean Group and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group estimators are utilized to explore the relationships between the variables, and the findings reveal that natural resource rents, climate change, and industrialization are detrimental to food security across the sub-groups. However, the outcomes affirm institutional quality and economic growth as beneficial drivers of food security across the sub-groups. Therefore, this study recommends that authorities of both low-income and lower-middle-income countries make substantial investments in sustainable natural resource utilization and also work towards enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their institutions, as well as investing in environmental research to explore climate change mitigation possibilities that could enhance food security in West Africa.

Association of food insecurity with physical frailty among older adults: study based on LASI, 2017-18

BACKGROUND

Food security can be directly linked to nutritional status and either directly or indirectly, it has an impact on health status and well-being of the population. Physical frailty is one of the most important phenotypes used to understand the vulnerable nature of older adults. This paper examined the association between food security and physical frailty in older adults.

METHODS

We used data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI, 2017-18), wave-1. The sample size was 31,464 older adults aged 60 years and above. Physical frailty was assessed using the modified version of frailty phenotype proposed by Fried and colleagues. Multivariable logistic regression was used to establish the association between food insecurity with physical frailty.

RESULTS

A proportion of 30.65% of older adults were frail in this study. Older adults with food insecurity had higher prevalence of exhaustion (12.1% vs 6.5%), unintentional weight loss (65.5% vs 5.1%), and weak grip strength (8.6% vs 7.9%) in comparison to their food secure counterparts. After adjusting for a large number of confounders, older adults who reported food insecurity had significantly higher odds of being frail [AOR: 2.68; CI: 2.26-3.19] in comparison to older adults with no food insecurity.

CONCLUSION

The study showed that food insecurity is associated with physical frailty among older adults in India. It is suggested that food security programs in the country may be considered as an effective strategy to prevent physical frailty among older adults.