Investigating the linkages between food insecurity, psychological distress, and poor sleep outcomes among U.S. college students.

Autor: Kopels MC; Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA., Shattuck EC; Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA., Rocha J; Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA., Roulette CJ; Anthropology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council [Am J Hum Biol] 2024 May; Vol. 36 (5), pp. e24032. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 20.
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24032
Abstrakt: Objective: Research overwhelmingly demonstrates that sleep is key to human health and wellbeing. Several factors likely contribute to sleep quality, including factors, such as food security and low income. In addition, exposure to structural inequalities early in life likely have downstream effects upon multiple dimensions of health. The objective of this study is to fill gaps in literature by specifically examining the associations between childhood food insecurity, current food insecurity, psychological distress, and sleep among college students.
Methods: QR codes were randomly distributed to students, linking them to an online quantitative survey. The survey measured sociodemographic variables, food security (current and childhood), diet, mental distress, and sleep quality. A total of n = 134 completed the entire survey. Data were analyzed using binary and multiple linear regressions, as well as cross-tabulations.
Results: The findings revealed that psychological distress was the primary factor influencing sleep health (𝛽 = 1.51, p < .01). Students reporting higher childhood food insecurity were more likely to experience extreme psychological distress (OR = 4.61), food insecurity in college (OR = 8.41), and lack of stable housing (OR = 5.86).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that potential linkages exist between childhood food insecurity, poor sleep, and greater psychological distress. While acknowledging the contribution of other factors, the study highlights the importance of addressing food insecurity in relation to sleep health, considering the significant impact of sleep to overall health and wellbeing.
(© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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