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Original research
Food insecurity and its association with health and well-being in middle-aged and older adults in India
  1. Y Selvamani1,
  2. Frank Elgar2
  1. 1 School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India
  2. 2 Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Y Selvamani, School of Public Health, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India; selvamay{at}srmist.edu.in

Abstract

Aim Food insecurity is a global public health concern; however, there is limited knowledge about its health impacts in India. We examined the associations of food insecurity with socioeconomic conditions, chronic disease and various domains of health and well-being in a community sample of middle-aged and older adults (45+ years) in India.

Methods Cross-sectional nationally representative data were collected in wave 1 (2017–2018) of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India. Food insecurity was measured by questions of access and availability of food. We used logistic regression analyses to examine associations of food insecurity with poor self-rated health, limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, low life satisfaction, depression, sleep problems and low body mass.

Results Food insecurity related to all seven indicators of poor health and well-being, even after controlling for material wealth and the presence of multimorbidity (which food insecurity also predicted). Associations with mental health were stronger for those for physical health. For instance, food insecurity related to a threefold increase in probable depression (OR=2.9, 95% CI=2.4 to 3.4) and low life satisfaction (OR=3.4, 95% CI=2.9 to 3.8).

Conclusions Food insecurity is a powerful social determinant of poor health among older adults in India. Policy measures to improve population health and well-being should closely follow trends in food insecurity, particularly among those living in poverty and with multiple health conditions.

  • AGING
  • HEALTH
  • Health inequalities
  • HEALTH STATUS
  • MENTAL HEALTH

Data availability statement

Data are available in a public, open access repository. The data used in this study can be freely downloaded from the following website through the following links: https://www.iipsindia.ac.in/lasi and https://lasi.hsph.harvard.edu/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2022-219721

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available in a public, open access repository. The data used in this study can be freely downloaded from the following website through the following links: https://www.iipsindia.ac.in/lasi and https://lasi.hsph.harvard.edu/.

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors Both authors designed and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. YS performed the data analyses. FE provided critical revisions in content, data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript revision. Both authors are responsible for the overall content and publication.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.