Food insecurity and mental health of college students in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) among college students and explore its association with indicators of mental and psychosocial health. Data were collected using a cross-sectional online survey from college students in different universities in Lebanon during the Spring 2021 semester. FI was assessed using the validated eight-item food insecurity experience scale. The mental health of college students was assessed using validated screening tools for depression, anxiety and well-being, namely the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the World Health Organization (WHO-5) index, respectively. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to assess the relationship of FI with PHQ-9, GAD-7 and WHO-5 scores. A total of 745 students completed the online survey. Approximately 39 % of students in the sample were experiencing FI of which 27.4, 8.1, and 3.5 % were experiencing mild, moderate and severe FI , respectively. Low maternal education, low household monthly income and high levels of stress were significant correlates of FI among college students (P-trend <0.001). In addition, 22.6 and 344 % of students showed severe symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively. Regression models showed that FI was associated with higher scores on PHQ-9 and GAD-7 (beta= 245; 95 % CI [1.41, 3.49]) and (beta =1.4; 95 % CI [1.1, 2.2], respectively) and lower scores on WHO-5 (beta= -4.84; 95 % CI [-8.2, -1.5]). In conclusion, a remarkable proportion of college students reported experiencing different forms of FI, which was associated with poorer mental health and well-being outcomes. Public health programmes and interventions are needed to mitigate FI and improve student health-related outcomes.