Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said of the study. "It's an especially devastating read," Dr. He is also the co-founder of Inner City Health Associates, a group of doctors that work in homeless settings across the Greater Toronto Area. Michael's Hospital in Toronto whose research focuses on the ways that poverty can impact someone's health. They also recorded a greater prevalence of emergency department visits and hospital admissions - 74 per cent more - compared to those who were food secure.ĭr. Results showed that kids living with food insecurity accessed medical services for mental health or substance use disorders 55 per cent more than those who had access to an appropriate diet. The children were between the ages of one and 17 years old. The study looked at information from more than 32,000 children, with more than 5,200 of them living in food insecure households. To analyze the link between food and mental health, researchers looked at data between 20 that was connected to a community health survey on a lack of access to healthy foods. Unmet basic needs can cause stress: researcher In Ontario, public health data says that one in five children live in a household that struggles to put healthy food on the table. Last year, 6.9 million Canadians, including 1.8 million children, faced food insecurity. But to Anderson's knowledge, this study is the first to show how food insecurity can likely lead to clinical disorders that strain the system. Past research on food insecurity has warned of the psychological distress it can cause kids, too. (Kimberley McCready/Western University )Īnderson is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Public Mental Health Research at Western University in London, Ont. Kelly Anderson is the study's lead author and an associate professor at Western University in London, Ont. "The more severe the food insecurity the household was experiencing, the more likely it was that children and adolescents would have a contact with health services," said Kelly Anderson, the study's lead author. In Canada, the number of people facing food insecurity - meaning they can't afford an adequate diet - has significantly grown in recent years due high inflation and the fiscal constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that in food-insecure households, kids could ultimately end up relying more on the health-care system to cope with mental health and substance use disorders. (Melanie Glanz/CBC)Ī new study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) highlights the clinical impact a lack of access to affordable, healthy food can have on young people's mental health. She worries about the health impact on her grandchildren. But with the rising cost of rent and groceries, Miller says they sometimes don't have enough money left over to afford adequate food. Rhonda Miller, 52, says the family relies on her social assistance paycheque of $900 a month.
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