Indigenous mental wellbeing in the face of food insecurity: The mitigating role of living in remote areas

Indigenous Australians experience disproportionately high rates of both food insecurity and poor mental wellbeing. However, little is known about how these issues intersect across different geographic contexts. Using data from the 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, this study examines the relationship between food insecurity and mental wellbeing among Indigenous Australians living in remote and non-remote areas. Mental wellbeing is assessed using three indicators: psychological distress, diagnosed mental health conditions, and emotional vitality. Food insecurity is measured as running out of food and being unable to afford to buy more. Our findings reveal a complex relationship between food insecurity, mental wellbeing, and location. Indigenous Australians living in food-insecure households are significantly more likely to experience psychological distress and diagnosed mental health conditions, and less likely to report high emotional vitality. While food insecurity is substantially more prevalent in remote areas than in non-remote areas, its association with adverse mental wellbeing outcomes is stronger in non-remote settings. This pattern persists despite higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in remote areas, suggesting that factors beyond material circumstances may shape the relationship between food insecurity and mental wellbeing. We argue that factors such as stronger connections to culture and country and greater access to traditional food systems, and stronger community networks may provide important sources of resilience that help buffer adverse mental health impacts of food insecurity. These findings highlight the importance of culturally informed approaches to food security and mental wellbeing policy and underscore the need to strengthen cultural resources and community resilience, particularly for Indigenous Australians living in non-remote areas.