Level of food insecurity, its determinants, and association with the mental health of urban community dwellers in a city of coastal Karnataka, India

This community-based cross-sectional study, done among the 263 urban populations of the coastal city of Karnataka, explores the link between food insecurity (FI) and mental health. The Household-Food Insecurity-Assessment-Scale (HFIAS), Generalized-Anxiety-Disorder-7 (GAD) scale, and Physical Health-Questionnaire-9 (PHQ) scale were used. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis with an adjusted odds ratio was reported. The result reveals that around 34.6%, 20.2%, and 36.1% of the reported symptoms of GAD, depression, and experienced FI, respectively, based on standardized screening tools. Around 45.3% and 28.4% of participants with FI had symptoms of GAD and depression, respectively. On multivariable analysis, participants with FI had higher odds of having symptoms of GAD [1.79, 1.03–3.10] (p =.03) and depression [1.879, 1.69–3.16] (p =.01).