For
decades, medical researchers and physicians have recognized that food
insecurity is a determinant of chronic disease morbidity and mortality, a
problem exacerbated during the outbreak of COVID-19. In turn, food insecurity
has caused economic and public health crises that is worsened by the invasion
of Ukraine by Russian, ongoing supply chain issues across the globe, and a
shortage of fertilizer to maximize agriculture across the US and beyond.
Food
insecurity contributes to poor health outcomes in both the short and long-term.
In the short-term, increased food insecurity, low household economic disruption
and resulting stresses, and interruptions in healthcare service during periods
of COVID-driven isolation contribute to acute chronic disease complications. Moreover,
the impact of food security lingers, even after COVID restrictions are lifted,
as the ‘new normal of healthcare systems stabilize, resulting in additional
risk for chronic disease development, morbidity, and mortality among
food-insecure households.
The
impact of food insecurity in less developed nations, such as in Africa, where
more than 50% of the population is moderately or severely food insecure, reveal
the longer-term impact of food insecurity. Research undertaken in Africa during
the past five years reveals that food insecurity is associated with poor mental
health, as well as poor developmental and physical health outcomes, including
growth stunting in children.
Moreover,
leading neuroscientists’ studies indicate that a major challenge for
neuroscience and public health experts is to understand the effects of food scarcity
on the developing brain as it is recognized that a significant number of children
and adolescents worldwide experience insecure access to food. Moreover,
scientists now recognize how even a transient experience of insecure versus
secure access to food during the juvenile-adolescent period can produced
lasting differences in learning, decision-making in adulthood, thus resulting
in a major health disparity for individuals lacking adequate food security and
nutrition.
References:
Anna M Leddy, Sheri D
Weiser, Kartika Palar, Hilary Seligman, A conceptual model for understanding
the rapid COVID-19–related increase in food insecurity and its impact on health
and healthcare, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
V 112, Issue 5, Nov 2020, Pages 1162–1169, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa226
John
Paul Trudell, Maddison L. Burnet, Bianca R. Ziegler, Isaac Luginaah, The impact
of food insecurity on mental health in Africa: A systematic review, Social
Science & Medicine,
V
278, 2021, 113953, ISSN 0277-9536, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113953.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953621002859)
Linda Wilbrecht Ph.D Professor of Psychology and
Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, The Wilbrecht Lab, “Transient
food insecurity during the juvenile-adolescent period affects adult weigh,
cognitive flexibility, and dopamine neurobiology. Wilbrecht
Lab.
https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/your-overall-health/food-insecurity-and-health
