TY - JOUR
T1 - Food insecurity, social networks and symptoms of depression among men and women in rural Uganda
T2 - A cross-sectional, population-based study
AU - Perkins, Jessica M.
AU - Nyakato, Viola N.
AU - Kakuhikire, Bernard
AU - Tsai, Alexander C.
AU - Subramanian, Sv
AU - Bangsberg, David R.
AU - Christakis, Nicholas A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © The Authors 2017.
PY - 2018/4/1
Y1 - 2018/4/1
N2 - Objective To assess the association between food insecurity and depression symptom severity stratified by sex, and test for evidence of effect modification by social network characteristics. Design A population-based cross-sectional study. The nine-item Household Food Insecurity Access Scale captured food insecurity. Five name generator questions elicited network ties. A sixteen-item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist for Depression captured depression symptom severity. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between food insecurity and depression symptom severity while adjusting for potential confounders and to test for potential network moderators. Setting In-home survey interviews in south-western Uganda. Subjects All adult residents across eight rural villages; 96 % response rate (n 1669). Results Severe food insecurity was associated with greater depression symptom severity (b=0·4, 95 % CI 0·3, 0·5, P<0·001 for women; b=0·3, 95 % CI 0·2, 0·4, P<0·001 for men). There was no evidence of effect modification by social network factors for women. However, for men who are highly embedded within in their village social network, and (separately) for men who have few poor contacts in their personal network, the relationship between severe food insecurity and depression symptoms was stronger than for men on the periphery of their village social network, and for men with many poor personal network contacts, respectively. Conclusions In this population-based study from rural Uganda, food insecurity was associated with mental health for both men and women. Future research is needed on networks and food insecurity-related shame in relation to depression symptoms among food-insecure men.
AB - Objective To assess the association between food insecurity and depression symptom severity stratified by sex, and test for evidence of effect modification by social network characteristics. Design A population-based cross-sectional study. The nine-item Household Food Insecurity Access Scale captured food insecurity. Five name generator questions elicited network ties. A sixteen-item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist for Depression captured depression symptom severity. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between food insecurity and depression symptom severity while adjusting for potential confounders and to test for potential network moderators. Setting In-home survey interviews in south-western Uganda. Subjects All adult residents across eight rural villages; 96 % response rate (n 1669). Results Severe food insecurity was associated with greater depression symptom severity (b=0·4, 95 % CI 0·3, 0·5, P<0·001 for women; b=0·3, 95 % CI 0·2, 0·4, P<0·001 for men). There was no evidence of effect modification by social network factors for women. However, for men who are highly embedded within in their village social network, and (separately) for men who have few poor contacts in their personal network, the relationship between severe food insecurity and depression symptoms was stronger than for men on the periphery of their village social network, and for men with many poor personal network contacts, respectively. Conclusions In this population-based study from rural Uganda, food insecurity was associated with mental health for both men and women. Future research is needed on networks and food insecurity-related shame in relation to depression symptoms among food-insecure men.
KW - Depression
KW - Food insecurity
KW - Hopkins Symptom Checklist for Depression
KW - Household Food Insecurity Access Scale
KW - Mental health
KW - Networks
KW - Sub-Saharan Africa
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U2 - 10.1017/S1368980017002154
DO - 10.1017/S1368980017002154
M3 - Article
C2 - 28988551
AN - SCOPUS:85030840659
SN - 1368-9800
VL - 21
SP - 838
EP - 848
JO - Public Health Nutrition
JF - Public Health Nutrition
IS - 5
ER -