THE ASSOCIATION OF HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY AND DEPRESSION IN MOTHERS HAVING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BOSTAN-ABAD

Background and Aim: Depression is the most common mood disorder that all people may experience it during life. Food insecurity and hunger can have social and psychological consequences as well as physical outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association of household food insecurity and depression in mothers having high school students in Bostan-Abad. Methods: This descriptive, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 480 women that having high-school students from East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. During random sampling, Beck depression inventory, 18-item food security questionnaire and socio-economic questionnaire were completed through face to face interviews. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS-16 software.Results: The results showed that prevalence of depression and household food insecurity in this study was 43.1% and 48.3%, respectively. In food secure group, 18.9% of women were depressed and in food insecure group, 68.9% were depressed. Food insecurity and depression in women revealed a significant positive correlation. Conclusion: This study revealed that the prevalence of depression and household food insecurity in the studied population was high. Due to the high prevalence of depression and food insecurity, screening strategies should be implemented to identify depressed mothers. Counseling services should be available and more attention should be paid to the education, job and economic status of the studied population.

کلیدواژه ها:

Depression ، Food Insecurity ، Mothers ، High School