‘Stressful cycle’ of food insecurity leads to health problems, Ottawa study suggests – CBC

Study says ‘anxiety and depression’ resulting from monthly trips to food bank over 18-month period

Jan 25, 2022

The author of a local study says food bank users faced worsening mental and physical health struggles due to food insecurity over an 18-month period, and society needs to change how we see food banks.

PhD candidate Anita Rizvi completed the study in 2018 and 2019 alongside the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Food Bank with people who accessed community food banks monthly. The study included 271 participants who answered questions through a survey at six-month intervals, as well as interviews conducted with some participants.

The study looked at whether people were happy with the quality of food bank supply, the health of food bank users, the accommodation of special dietary needs, and how people felt about their experience using the service.

Rizvi said the study found almost two-thirds of respondents faced either moderate or severe food insecurity after going to the food bank for those 18 months. Among that group, 11 agreed to interviews at the end of the study and each reported chronic physical problems — such as osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes — or mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or eating disorders.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-food-insecurity-study-food-banks-1.6325185