Poor Nutrition Effects Mental Health Food insecurity is associated with more than a two-fold increase in mental health problems of adolescents (Poole-Di Salvo, Silver, & Stein, 2016). Factors that can affect mental health disorders include low socioeconomic status, food insecurity, food desert communities, and a lack of nutrition. Some of the mental health disorders that play a role in nutrition are depression, suicidal ideation, and eating disorders. Nurses can make a difference by educating the community regarding how food and nutrition can improve mental health. Factors Low socioeconomic status is one-factor influencing mental health. With a low income, there is the struggle with food insecurity. Food insecurity is a limited or uncertain …show more content…
availability or ability to acquire nutritionally adequate foods (Poole-Di Salvo, 2016). This is affecting 14.5% of U.S. households and 20% of U.S. households with children (Poole-Di Salvo, 2016). Families are worrying about having little to no food on the table, because of the lack of money. When the main concern is to provide enough food for a family, having a nutrient dense or healthy food option is not a priority. The little amount of food, low quality, and stress of not being able to provide food can impact nutritional well-being (Weaver, Meek, & Hadley, 2014). Food desert communities is also a factor, which is a low-income community that has little access to large grocery stores. Without access to large grocery stores, families are limited to having the option to choose more affordable fresh foods that are nutritious. Families are forced to spend more money on low-quality food or spend more money on gasoline to drive to a larger grocery store for optimal food choices. Everyone does not have the luxury to travel ten or more miles to a larger grocery store due to finances, lack of access to a vehicle to drive, or lack of public transportation. Another factor affecting mental health is the lack of nutrients in the food.
When families are unable to eat nutritious food, they are lacking the minimum daily vitamins and mineral requirements. The adequate amounts of carbohydrates, B vitamins, minerals, folate, and water is crucial for improving mood (Dunne, 2012). Complex carbohydrates such as legumes and some vegetables are broken down slowly to provide energy over time to help stabilize blood sugar levels and stabilize mood (Dunne, 2012). Simple carbohydrates such as baked goods, candy, and fruit drinks are broken down more quickly and have very little nutrient value. Niacin is a B vitamin that can be obtained from meat, fish, legumes, and milk. A deficiency in niacin may result in confusion, insomnia, and depression (Dunne, 2012). Folate can be found in enriched bread and grains. People with a deficiency in folate are more likely to be diagnosed with depression (Dunne, 2012). Selenium sources include fish, eggs, and whole grains. A deficiency in selenium influences mood, such as anxiety and depression (Dunne, 2012). Water is essential and a deficit can cause dehydration. Some symptoms of dehydration consist of drowsiness, loss of concentration, and …show more content…
disorientation. Mental Health Disorders There is strong evidence to support poor nutrition impacting clinical depression (Bottomley, & McKeown, 2008). There are reports of associations between food insecurity and having been seen by a psychologist, and the likeliness to have a depressive disorder among adolescents (Poole-Di Salvo, 2016). Food insecurity not only is a contributor to depression but once someone is depressed, there is a lack of appetite and lack of motivation. This causes a depressed person to have even less nutrition, because they are not motivated to buy food, cook, or eat. According to Williamson (2009), a study suggests that there are more severe symptoms of depression when consuming fewer healthier food choices, fewer fruits and vegetables, and consuming more low nutrient dense food. The study also shows evidence supporting the use of folate in treating depression. There are higher rates of suicidal ideation in adolescents with food insecure households. (Weaver, Meek, & Hadley, 2014). In food insecure households with less nutrient dense foods and more low nutrient dense foods, adolescents may become overweight. Being overweight at any age can cause someone to have a low mood which may lead to thoughts of suicide. In adolescents, the risk of suicidal ideation can increase even more with body image and being overweight. Eating disorders are associated with depression, suicidal ideation, and a lack of nutrients.
Adolescents with eating disorders have a lack of nutrients such as omega-6 fatty acid, starch, vitamin A, and vitamin E (Allen, Mori, Beilin, 2013). An adolescent may be overweight from eating low nutrient dense foods and suffer from binge eating due to poor body image. Someone may also binge eat due to the lack of food on the table, and therefore binge on food once it is finally provided. Many families do not have food on the table every day for every meal, consequently, a child may binge eat at school if they are provided free lunch due to low socioeconomic
status. Making a Change. Nurses play a role in educating communities about nutrition, mental health, and overall health in many ways. Not all nurses have a broad understanding in these areas and need to continue their education and or know resources to provide for families. Fortunately, many hospitals offer registered dietitians who are experts in nutrition. In many places that nurses work, nurses still need to recognize the need for someone such as a registered dietician to be referred for a patient. Continuing education for nurses and all staff are ways to be proactive in identifying patients at risk for lack of nutrition and mental health problems. Nurses in schools provide nutrition education to children, faculty, and parents. However, not all schools offer nurses, and the nurses that are in schools, do not always have enough time or resources to provide additional nutrition education. Even with the little nutrition education that schools offer through teachers and nurses, the education is not always reinforced in the home. Parents also need repetition education for themselves and their families to make healthy food choices. Community health nurses play a role in providing resources for families so that they may receive assistance in getting food on the table. There are also community education classes for parents on nutrition label reading, how to cook, proper nutrition, and more. Many communities have an abundance of resources, however, getting families more involved can be a challenge. Families struggle with time due to working and lack of transportation and therefore miss out on the opportunity to be involved in free education classes for communities. Education implemented in workplaces, health fairs, schools, colleges, grocery stores, and where ever an opportunity arises can help spread the knowledge of nutrition and a healthy mind. People spend most of their lives in school and work. If these places provided ongoing resources and education, there would be more repetition of learning and the likeness of having a better understanding of nutrition would improve. Continuing education for everyone is ideal to be more knowledgeable in nutrition and the effects it has on the body and well-being. Providing resources to food insecure families and food desert communities can also help make a change in the nutrition in households. By learning more about how the body is affected by nutrients, vitamins, minerals, water, and having a well-rounded healthy diet can decrease the mental health issues faced every day.
British Columbia (BC) is a wealthy province that provides a variety of publicly funded services to its residents, however, from 2011 to 2012 almost 1.1 million British Columbians and 4.9 percent of Canadian children were affected by food insecurity (Rideout & Kotasky, 2014, Statistics Canada, 2015). Food insecurity goes beyond not having enough to eat but also has an impact on health equity and social justice. “Children experiencing food insecurity have poorer school performance, and having not learned healthy eating habits in childhood; they face additional challenges of healthy living as adults” (Rideout & Kotasky, 2014).
Food insecurity is a concerning issue that need to be addressed in our current society. In population such as the elderly it is alerting issue. For instance, many older adults lack access, have chronic health conditions and limited support when obtaining food. As result older adults experience nutritional complication such as malnourishment and sometimes death. To reduce the complications associated with food insecurity in the elderly population interventions are needed. This paper will highlight several interventions that addressed the issue of food insecurity among the elderly population. Lastly, this paper will provide detail information on which intervention will be the best approach in increasing food intake and nourishment among the
How often does one think about when his/her next meal will be? If you are the average American, the answer will most likely be “in a couple of hours”; however, there is a good chance that you might also be one of the fifty million Americans that would most likely answer “I don’t know… whenever I can afford it, I guess.” Roughly every one in six Americans would have some sort of response like the one presented because that is how many are considered food insecure. This is obviously one of the most important social problems afflicting America in modern times, but what can be done about it? A Place at the Table displays three scenarios: Barbie, a struggling mother of two; Rosie, a fifth grader living meal
Today many college students are faced with eating a poor diet, because they do not have the money or the time to eat properly. With this in mind, I am going to research what college students are eating and how they obtain the food. To conduct this research, I will observe the food UC Irvine college students are eating for their lunchbreaks, either at work or in between classes, around the University of California at Irvine campus. By conducting this study, I will find out whether students are buying their food from grocery stores, buying from fast-food restaurants or cooking the food themselves. In addition, I will interview subjects and learn about their daily food
The United States Department of Agriculture defines food unsecurity as the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such food, is limited or uncertain for a household. Food insecurity also does not always mean that the household has nothing to eat. More simply stated it is the struggle to provide nutritional food for ones family and/or self. The people that suffer from food insecurity are not all living below the poverty line. In 2012 49.0 million people were considered food insecure in the United States of those 46.5 million were in poverty (Hunger & Poverty Statistics, 2012). For some individual’s food insecurity is only a temporary situation for others it maybe for extended period. Food insecurity due temporary situation such as unemployment, divorce, major medical or illness can be become more long term. The vast majority of these are families with children.
...brain and malnutrition. Therefore, one’s diet is not only crucial for the physical well being but also their mental.
Within the study of mental health, socioeconomic status has been used as a major determinant of mental health. Module 3a, discusses the social determinates of mental health. From the studies conducted, household income levels had an effect on the perceived levels of mental health. The lowest levels of incomes had the highest percentage of mental illness. With mental health, stressors are considered to be the factors that contribute to a person’s negative mental health. These stimuli typically provided feelings of distress, feelings of a person about their affective state, or can result in deviance, the perception of others and are a violation of social norms.
Availability seems to be an issue as well with access to healthy foods. Financial strains and the affordability of healthy food is yet another barrier. One participant with serious mental illness stated, “In a lot of these places around where I live, I mean in the immediate area, they don’t have a lot of it (fresh fruits and vegetables), and if they are they are sky high (in price) (Barre Laura, 2011).” The issue of transportation in order to obtain food is another obstacle in eating healthy.
Food can heal the body; food can destroy the mind. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating integrates severe sensations, emotions, mindsets, and performances surrounding Body image and food concerns. Eating disorders are severely depressing mentally and physically to the human body especially that of young men and women in their adolescent years. Eating disorders are not only a mental illness but also a physical illness that can lead to death and starvation. Eating disorder are triggered from social media, body shaming, and physiological disorders especially targeting the adolescent age group that are experience many physical and chemical changes in their body’s.
If the children do not receive the nutrient’s need to grow up, they are more likely to experience physical mental and academic problems. The child body attempts to adopt lack of food by decreasing physical and intellectual growth. A child's formative period needs a balance of nutrients for normal brain development. This is subject in the Nutrition and Early Brain Development article “Shortages of nutrients such as iron and iodine can impair cognitive and motor development, and these effects are often irreversible”.(The urban child institute). So, Long term under nutrition can slow behavioral and cognitive development, affecting school achievement, and heath undermines future
(2012). Mental disorders more prevalent among adolescents with food insecurity. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ,
Food insecurity affects people of all ages spectrum and causes more than just health-related problems. Children who are food-insecure have greater chances of anemia, malnutrition, cognitive problems, aggression, anxiety, dysthymia, asthma, mental health problems, oral health problems, behavioral problems and poorer general health (Gundersen, Kreider, and Pepper). Adults who are food-insecure have greater chances of malnutrition, mental health problems, long-term physical health problems, depression, diabetes, chronic disease, and lower scores on physical and mental health exams (Gundersen, Kreider, and Pepper). Seniors who are food-insecure have greater chances of malnutrition, poor health, and limitations in activities (Gundersen, Kreider, and Pepper). Food insecurity is closely connected with obesity since obesity is the most common health problem resulting from food insecurity All Americans have the risk of having obesity, however, people who live under food-insecure households have greater risk of having obesity. There are many reasons why people in food-insecure households have greater risk for obesity, including inability to afford healthy food, less opportunities for physical activity, and greater chances of exposure to fast food restaurants and food-related marketing (O’Connor). In addition, people who are food-insecure tend to overeat when food became available, which results in unbalanced diets that cause weight gain (O’Connor). Childhood obesity that is due to food insecurity have great influences over children’s health and future. The consequences of childhood obesity include diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, poor academic performance, behavioral problems, school absenteeism, and greater chance for obesity as an adult
“New York’s Food Pantries under Strain and Need Help,” is an article on the CNN Money website (November 23, 2016) by Amanda Stern from the Robin Food Foundation (Stern, 2016). The article describes a fall in the food insecurity in the US since the economic recession in 2008. Stern indicates that the number of individuals struggling to get food has decreased. According to the article, the data by the Hunger Free America indicate that New York City has experienced a decrease in the number of individuals with food insecurity by 250,000 people (Stern, 2016). The report gives relieve for the city from the high food insecurities especially at the peak of the recession. Stern in this article indicates that the decrease
Nutrients are absorbed by consuming food. A well balanced diet contributes to better development, higher quality of life and a better health (Gibney et al. 2009). Undernutrition causes hunger, decreases mental and physical performance and lowers the immune system (Gibney et al. 2009). Overnutrition leads to obesity which is associated with a wide variety of diseases (Gibney et al. 2009). Malnutrition is often due to undernutrition of micronutrients and overnutrition of macronutrients and has the negative effects of both under- and overnutrition (Gibney et al. 2009). Students are most likely to suffer from malnutrition.
Food insecurity and poor nutrition is an alarmingly large problem for low income families, especially in developing countries. Many strategies exist to fight this problem, although not many of these address all the factors contributing to it along with all the possible solutions to solve it. In many cases, multiple strategies must correlate and work together so that all the determinants of this issue are addressed and can fight food insecurity from different angles. This essay will discuss the significance of the problem, a range of possible strategies to solve the problem, and go into detail on a select few that will correlate and work together to solve different factors of food insecurity and poor nutrition.