People experience food insecurity in different ways.
When food becomes scarce, it is often the mother who is the first to change her eating habits to protect others, especially children, from the effects.
To find out what it takes to ensure everyone has enough to eat, researchers at Virginia Tech surveyed low-income mothers and caregivers.
“We wanted to explore how changes in the level of food security in the home affect maternal mental health,” said Sarah Mishak, assistant professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Kinesiology and associate director of the Family Nutrition Program. “Mothers’ mental health is negatively affected by food insecurity in the home, especially if the mother herself is either not eating any food or is using up a significant amount of it. This evidence suggests that maternal mental health suffers depending on who is affected by food insecurity in the home.”
The research team included Dr. Rachel Riebe (Class of ’23), now with the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Oklahoma State University, and Chanita Holmes, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
The study was recently published in the journal Nutrients.
Food insecurity in the home takes a toll on mothers and their caregivers, especially when adults are hungry.
“Mothers from food insecure homes reported poorer mental health and had to use more strategies to cope with food insecurity compared to mothers from food secure homes,” Misiak said. “They also reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than mothers from food secure homes.”
According to the researchers, this indicates a need for strategies to help mothers and caregivers manage their mental health when someone in the household is food insecure. In addition to nutrition education on managing food resources, additional support is needed to support the mental health of mothers and caregivers.
Food insecurity, or food security, isn’t always present. Researchers have found that food insecurity is even more prevalent during holidays and summer vacations, when school meals aren’t provided.
Misiak said future research should focus on creating screening tools that can accurately identify which household members are experiencing food insecurity.
“This will help get the resources families need and ensure everyone has enough to eat,” she said.
To find out what family nutrition program resources are available in your area, contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office.
