Association of food insecurity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adults aged ≥50 years from low- and middle-income countries
Abstract : Background: The aim
of the present study was to investigate associations between food
insecurity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adults aged
≥50 years from six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods:
Cross-sectional, community-based data from the World Health
Organisation's Study on Global Aging and Adult Health were analyzed.
Self-reported information on past 12-month suicidal ideation and suicide
attempts was collected. Past 12-month food insecurity was assessed with
two questions on frequency of eating less and hunger due to lack of
food. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess
the association between food insecurity and suicidal ideation or
suicide attempts. Results: The final analytical sample included 34,129
individuals aged ≥50 years [mean (SD) age 62.4 (16.0) years; 52.1%
females]. Compared to no food insecurity, severe food insecurity was
associated with a significant 2.78 (95%CI = 1.73–4.45) times higher odds
for suicidal ideation, while moderate and severe food insecurity were
associated with 2.59 (95%CI = 1.35–4.97) and 5.15 (95%CI = 2.52–10.53)
times higher odds for suicide attempts, respectively. Limitations: The
cross-sectional design, the use of self-reported wish to die as a
measure of suicide ideation, and that suicidal ideation and suicide
attempts were only assessed among those who had depressive symptoms,
could be considered limitations of our study. Conclusions: Food
insecurity was positively associated with suicidal ideation and suicide
attempts. Targeting food insecurity among older adults in LMICs may lead
to reduction in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, although future
longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm this.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03775784
Contributeur : Équipe HAL UVSQ
Soumis le : mardi 13 septembre 2022 Dernière modification le : mercredi 14 septembre 2022
Collections UVSQ
Contributeur : Équipe HAL UVSQ
Soumis le : mardi 13 septembre 2022 Dernière modification le : mercredi 14 septembre 2022
Collections UVSQ