Impact of Food Insecurity on Mental Health Among Minia University Students, Egypt

Introduction: Food insecurity is usually referred to lack of consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy lifestyle. It is a multifaceted, sophisticated condition that has been acknowledged globally as a major public health concern. Students who experience food insecurity report worsening mental health, which may eventually affect both their general health and academic performance. Aim of study: to determine the prevalence of food insecurity among Minia university students and to identify the most common mental outcomes of it. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on random sample from Minia university students during 2023-2024 educational year. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire. Food insecurity was assessed using the validated eight-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale. The mental health of college students was assessed using validated screening tools, Patient Health Questionnaire for depression, General Anxiety Disorder-7 for anxiety and Cohen Perceived Stress Scale 10 for stress. Verbal consent was ensured before applying the questionnaire. The Chi square and independent sample t-test were performed using SPSS 20 to identify associations and differences and Liner regression was used to analyze the data. Results: Prevalence of food insecurity among college students was 61.1%. of which 40.7%, 16.1% and 4.2% reported mild, moderate and sever food insecure respectively. Food insecurity was associated with poor mental health (P <0.05). Additionally, the results of the Liner regression analysis showed that food insecurity had impact on students' depression, anxiety, and stress. Conclusion: Students at Minia university had an alarming prevalence of food insecurity. Our results demonstrated an association between FI and poor mental health in college students. These findings support the necessity of public health initiatives to address and reduce the rising problem of FI and mental health consequences on college students.