Edward A Frongillo1, Hoa T Nguyen2, Michael D Smith3, Alisha Coleman-Jensen3. 1. Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; and efrongillo@sc.edu. 2. Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; and. 3. Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC.
Abstract
Background: Food insecurity is an aspect of living conditions that is particularly important for quality of life, health, and subjective well-being. The implementation of the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale in 147 countries in the 2014 Gallup World Poll provided an unprecedented opportunity to understand the association of food insecurity with subjective well-being.Objective: We examined how food insecurity relates with measures of living conditions and how food insecurity and other living conditions relate with physical health and, in turn, subjective well-being. Methods: Data were collected from individuals aged ≥15 y by telephone in 38 countries and via face-to-face interviews in 111 others. The available sample was 132,618 (138 countries) and 122,137 (137 countries) for the daily experience and life evaluation indexes of subjective well-being, respectively. Daily experience was a continuous measure and life evaluation was categorized into thriving, struggling, and suffering. We estimated 6 linear or logistic regression models for each index controlling for country as a fixed effect. Results: Food insecurity was associated with the other 3 measures of living conditions: household income, shelter and housing, and employment. Food insecurity explained poor physical health and lower subjective well-being beyond other measures of living conditions. Instrumental and emotional support was associated with higher subjective well-being. The associations of food insecurity with subjective well-being were larger than with other explanatory variables. Food insecurity was associated with subjective well-being within each of the 4 World Bank income classes of countries, with a larger magnitude of differences for the higher-income classes.Conclusions: Food insecurity was strongly and negatively associated with subjective well-being in a large global sample of individuals aged ≥15 y. These results demonstrate the consistency of goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which has targeted 2030 to ensure food security for all people, year-round, with other goals to reduce food insecurity.
Background: Food insecurity is an aspect of living conditions that is particularly important for quality of life, health, and subjective well-being. The implementation of the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale in 147 countries in the 2014 Gallup World Poll provided an unprecedented opportunity to understand the association of food insecurity with subjective well-being.Objective: We examined how food insecurity relates with measures of living conditions and how food insecurity and other living conditions relate with physical health and, in turn, subjective well-being. Methods: Data were collected from individuals aged ≥15 y by telephone in 38 countries and via face-to-face interviews in 111 others. The available sample was 132,618 (138 countries) and 122,137 (137 countries) for the daily experience and life evaluation indexes of subjective well-being, respectively. Daily experience was a continuous measure and life evaluation was categorized into thriving, struggling, and suffering. We estimated 6 linear or logistic regression models for each index controlling for country as a fixed effect. Results: Food insecurity was associated with the other 3 measures of living conditions: household income, shelter and housing, and employment. Food insecurity explained poor physical health and lower subjective well-being beyond other measures of living conditions. Instrumental and emotional support was associated with higher subjective well-being. The associations of food insecurity with subjective well-being were larger than with other explanatory variables. Food insecurity was associated with subjective well-being within each of the 4 World Bank income classes of countries, with a larger magnitude of differences for the higher-income classes.Conclusions: Food insecurity was strongly and negatively associated with subjective well-being in a large global sample of individuals aged ≥15 y. These results demonstrate the consistency of goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which has targeted 2030 to ensure food security for all people, year-round, with other goals to reduce food insecurity.
Authors: Joshua D Miller; Edward A Frongillo; Elly Weke; Rachel Burger; Pauline Wekesa; Lila A Sheira; A Rain Mocello; Elizabeth A Bukusi; Phelgona Otieno; Craig R Cohen; Sheri D Weiser; Sera L Young Journal: J Nutr Date: 2021-06-01 Impact factor: 4.798
Authors: Margaret Anne Defeyter; Paul B Stretesky; Michael A Long; Sinéad Furey; Christian Reynolds; Debbie Porteous; Alyson Dodd; Emily Mann; Anna Kemp; James Fox; Andrew McAnallen; Lara Gonçalves Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2021-04-26
Authors: Emily L Tuthill; Lila A Sheira; Kartika Palar; Edward A Frongillo; Tracey E Wilson; Adebola Adedimeji; Daniel Merenstein; Mardge H Cohen; Eryka L Wentz; Adaora A Adimora; Ighovwerha Ofotokun; Lisa Metsch; Margot Kushel; Janet M Turan; Deborah Konkle-Parker; Phyllis C Tien; Sheri D Weiser Journal: J Nutr Date: 2019-02-01 Impact factor: 4.687
Authors: Julia A Wolfson; Yoshiki Ishikawa; Chizuru Hosokawa; Kate Janisch; Jennifer Massa; David M Eisenberg Journal: Appetite Date: 2021-01-16 Impact factor: 5.016
Authors: Katherine P Adams; Emmanuel Ayifah; Thokozani E Phiri; Malay K Mridha; Seth Adu-Afarwuah; Mary Arimond; Charles D Arnold; Joseph Cummins; Sohrab Hussain; Chiza Kumwenda; Susana L Matias; Ulla Ashorn; Anna Lartey; Kenneth M Maleta; Stephen A Vosti; Kathryn G Dewey Journal: J Nutr Date: 2017-10-04 Impact factor: 4.798