Seasonality, Food Insecurity, and Clinical Depression in Post-Partum Women in a Rural Malawi Setting

Objectives We evaluate the association between food insecurity (FI) and clinical depression, and the modifying effects of seasonality on this association. Methods Food insecurity is assessed from 175 post-partum women in the rural Ntcheu District of central Malawi using the USAID's Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Clinical depression is measured using a validated Chichewa version of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ). Interviews were conducted from October 2016 to June 2017 and spanned 5 months of the dry season (April-November) and the 4 months of rainy season (December-March). Results After adjusting for age and parity, participants who reported high FI (HFIAS score >= 9) had 4.6 (95%CI 1.8-11.4) times the odds of meeting the cut-off for clinical depression (SRQ score >= 8). The effect was greater during the dry season (OR 9.9; 95%CI 2.0-48.6), than in the rainy season (OR 2.6; 95%CI 0.8-8.3) though the interaction term was not statistically significant (p = 0.18) Conclusions for Practice High FI is associated with diagnostic markers of clinical depression.