Food insecurity is associated with multiple psychological and behavioural problems among adolescents in five Caribbean countries

Solidarity through food: Coping with food insecurity among adolescent migrants in transit through Mexico and Central America

BACKGROUND

The food choices of migrants are frequently limited by lack of access to sufficient and adequate food. Food insecurity (FI) during adolescence has potential negative health consequences, however the experiences of FI of adolescent in-transit migrants have seldom been reported.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the experiences of FI of adolescent in-transit migrants and their ways of coping with it.

METHODS

Qualitative study, with 19 semi-structured interviews with adolescents (ages 13-19 years), in shelters for migrants in Mexico in 2022-2023. We followed a reflexive thematic analysis strategy.

RESULTS

Most participants had experienced FI during the journey, and responded by limiting intake, choosing food according to price, seeking temporary work or asking for food or money in the streets. We defined "solidarity through food" as a central theme that summarized participants' experiences of sharing food with other migrants, as givers or recipients. Solidarity through food was a response to FI, benefitting the more disadvantaged (e.g. young children, those who had been robbed). Despite their young age, interviewees took part in this, giving their food to others and restricting their intake to prioritize younger siblings.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS

Solidarity through food was a form of generalized reciprocity, enacted not only among family members or friends, but extended to other migrants sharing the route. In further studies, it will be important to explore the role and nuances of food sharing as a practice of social exchange of responsibility and care, on adolescent migrants' health, and in their psychological and relational development into adulthood.

Risk factors for household food insecurity in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network cohort study

Background

Globally, 1.3 billion people were considered food insecure as of 2022. In the Caribbean region, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was 71.3% as of 2020, the highest of all subregions in Latin America. Experienced based measurement scales, like the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale, are efficient measurement tools of food insecurity used globally. The Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study is a population-based longitudinal cohort study in the two Caribbean U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as in Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. The purpose of this research was to examine the demographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and environmental risk factors associated with household food insecurity (HFI) among adults ≥40 years of age in the ECHORN cohort.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis of baseline ECHORN cohort study data was conducted. The primary outcome was household food insecurity (none, mild, moderate/severe). A total of 16 known and potential risk factors were examined for their association with HFI. The ANOVA and chi-square statistics were used in bivariate analysis. Ordinal logistic regression was used for the multivariable and sex stratified analyses.

Results

More than one-quarter of the sample (27.3%) experienced HFI. In bivariate analyses, all risk factors examined except for sex, were significantly associated with HFI status. In the multivariable analysis, all variables except sex, education, marital status, smoking status, and residing in Puerto Rico were significant predictors of HFI in the adjusted model. In sex stratified analysis, depression, food availability, self-rated physical health, and island site were significantly associated with increased odds of worsening HFI for women, but not for men. Source of potable water was an important risk factor for both men and women.

Discussion

The prevalence of HFI in the ECHORN cohort study is comparable to other studies conducted in the region. While women did not have an increased risk of HFI compared to men, a different set of risk factors affected their vulnerability to HFI. More research is needed to understand how water and food security are interrelated in the ECHORN cohort.

The relationship between secondhand smoking exposure and mental health among never-smoking adolescents in school: Data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey

BACKGROUND

There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoking. Adolescence is a stage of rapid psychological development and is highly susceptible to various factors that can cause some mental health problems. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of secondhand smoking exposure in never-smoking school adolescents and evaluate whether there is an association between secondhand smoking exposure and mental health.

METHODS

70 nationally representative data sets from the Global School-based Student Health Survey, conducted between 2003 and 2017, were used to estimate the prevalence of secondhand smoking exposure and evaluate whether there is an association between secondhand smoking exposure and loneliness, sleeplessness, and suicidal ideation.

RESULTS

Total 191, 613 no-smoking school adolescents (43.0% boys) were included in this analysis. The prevalence of secondhand smoking exposure ranged from 15.1% in Tajikistan to 79.6% in Timor-Leste. There was no difference in the prevalence of secondhand smoking exposure between boys and girls in most countries. After adjusted, secondhand smoking exposure was positively associated with loneliness (odds ratio 1.39, 95% CI 1.30-1.49), sleeplessness (odds ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.28-1.47), and suicidal ideation (odds ratio 1.22, 95% CI 1.15-1.30) in never-smoking school adolescents in overall samples.

LIMITATIONS

Use of self-report measures and potentially limited generalizability.

CONCLUSIONS

Secondhand smoking exposure remains a serious public health issue among never-smoking school adolescents and its impact on adolescent mental health cannot be ignored. Stricter and more comprehensive policies and bans on secondhand smoking should be implemented, and adolescents' mental health should receive more attention.