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…
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…
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
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Show MoreHow 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
Stuff, Casey, Szeto, Gossett, Robbins, Simpson, Connell, and Bogle (2004) Household Food Insecurity Is Associated with Adult Health Status. Journal of Nutrition, 134, 2330-2335. Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/9/2330.full
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.
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.
...brain and malnutrition. Therefore, one’s diet is not only crucial for the physical well being but also their mental.
Food insecurity is an issue faced by millions of Americans every day, and the biggest group affected by this is working families with children. Food insecurity is so big that the United States government has now recognized it and provided a definition for it. The United States government has defined food insecurity as “a household level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food” (USDA.gov). Food banks and anti-hunger advocates agree that some of the causes of food insecurity are stagnant wages, increase in housing costs, unemployment, and inflation of the cost of food. These factors have caused food banks to see a change in the groups of people needing assistance. Doug O’Brien, director of public policy and research at Chicago-based Second Harvest says “’we’ve seen a real shift in who we serve. A decade ago, it was almost always homeless, single men and chronic substance abusers. Now we have children and working families at soup kitchens’” (Koch). These families that are feeling the effects of food insecurity will not be only ones affected by it, but all of America. Studies have shown that there is a link between food security, performance in the classroom, and obesity. If this issue is not faced head on, America will have a generation of children not fully prepared for the workforce and high health insurance rates due to obesity health issues.
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.
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
“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
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
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
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.
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
(2012). Mental disorders more prevalent among adolescents with food insecurity. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ,
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.