Dataset Information

Food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate the association between food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design

Cross-sectional study. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation.

Setting

US Census Household Pulse Survey data collected in October 2020.

Participants

Nationally representative sample of 68 611 US adults.

Results

After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, experiencing food insufficiency was associated with higher odds of unmet mental health need (adjusted OR (AOR) 2·90; 95 % CI 2·46, 3·43), receiving mental health counselling or therapy (AOR 1·51; 95 % CI 1·24, 1·83) and psychotropic medication use (AOR 1·56; 95 % CI 1·35, 1·80). Anxiety and depression symptoms mediated most of the association between food insufficiency and unmet mental health need but not the associations between food insufficiency and either receiving mental health counselling/therapy or psychotropic medication use.

Conclusions

Clinicians should regularly screen patients for food insufficiency, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanding access to supplemental food programmes may help to mitigate the need for higher mental health service utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUBMITTER: Nagata JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8367866 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nagata Jason M JM Ganson Kyle T KT Cattle Chloe J CJ Whittle Henry J HJ Tsai Alexander C AC Weiser Sheri D SD

Public health nutrition 20210715 1

<h4>Objective</h4>To estimate the association between food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.<h4>Design</h4>Cross-sectional study. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation.<h4>Setting</h4>US Census Household Pulse Survey data collected in October 2020.<h4>Participants</h4>Nationally representative sample of 68 611 US adults.<h4>Results</h4>A ...[more]

PMID: 34261566

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Project description:IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic and the restriction policies implemented by the Government of Malawi may have disrupted routine health service utilisation. We aimed to find evidence for such disruptions and quantify any changes by service type and level of health care.MethodsWe extracted nationwide routine health service usage data for 2015-2021 from the electronic health information management systems in Malawi. Two datasets were prepared: unadjusted and adjusted; for the latter, unreported monthly data entries for a facility were filled in through systematic rules based on reported mean values of that facility or facility type and considering both reporting rates and comparability with published data. Using statistical descriptive methods, we first described the patterns of service utilisation in pre-pandemic years (2015-2019). We then tested for evidence of departures from this routine pattern, i.e., service volume delivered being below recent average by more than two standard deviations was viewed as a substantial reduction, and calculated the cumulative net differences of service volume during the pandemic period (2020-2021), in aggregate and within each specific facility.ResultsEvidence of disruptions were found: from April 2020 to December 2021, services delivered of several types were reduced across primary and secondary levels of care-including inpatient care (-20.03% less total interactions in that period compared to the recent average), immunisation (-17.61%), malnutrition treatment (-34.5%), accidents and emergency services (-16.03%), HIV (human immunodeficiency viruses) tests (-27.34%), antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiations for adults (-33.52%), and ART treatment for paediatrics (-41.32%). Reductions of service volume were greatest in the first wave of the pandemic during April-August 2020, and whereas some service types rebounded quickly (e.g., outpatient visits from -17.7% to +3.23%), many others persisted at lower level through 2021 (e.g., under-five malnutrition treatment from -15.24% to -42.23%). The total reduced service volume between April 2020 and December 2021 was 8 066 956 (-10.23%), equating to 444 units per 1000 persons.ConclusionWe have found substantial evidence for reductions in health service delivered in Malawi during the COVID-19 pandemic which may have potential health consequences, the effect of which should inform how decisions are taken in the future to maximise the resilience of healthcare system during similar events.

Dataset Information

Food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Food insufficiency and mental health service utilisation in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar Datasets

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