(P07-56-26) Food Insecurity and Mental Health Among Mothers With Low Income in the Southern US: Examining the Role of County Food Environment Indicators

Objectives: Food insecurity is linked to poor mental health, but social comparison theory suggests that individuals’ well-being may also depend on their perceived socioeconomic standing relative to others in their communities. This study examines whether county-level SNAP and WIC retailer density and SNAP redemption rates are associated with mental health outcomes and poverty-related stigma among mothers experiencing food insecurity.

Methods: A cross-sectional study (12/2023) was conducted among Southern US mothers with low income (below 185% federal poverty level). Participant ZIP codes were linked to county-level food environment indicators from the USDA Food Environment Atlas. Because ZIP codes can span multiple counties, county-level measures were aggregated to the ZIP level using an existing ZIP–county crosswalk and weighted by residential address proportions in each county. Logistic and linear regression were used to examine associations between food insecurity and key outcomes (i.e. anxiety and depressive symptoms, poverty stigma) while adjusting for age, income, race, and county-level factors. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and standardized β are reported to estimate effect size.

Results: Among mothers (n=1,008), 76.0% (n=767) experienced food insecurity, 53.1% (n=535) reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms, and 47.8% (n=482) reported clinically significant depressive symptoms. After adjustment for county-level factors, food insecurity remained significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety (aOR=1.14, 95% CI: 1.12–1.18) and depression (aOR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.12–1.19). Food insecurity was also positively associated with experienced stigma (β=0.37, p< 0.001) and internalized stigma (β=0.26, p< 0.001). County-level factors were not associated with most outcomes; however, SNAP redemption rates showed a small positive association with internalized stigma (β=0.09, p=0.006).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the county-level food environment indicators examined here did not substantially explain mental health outcomes, highlighting the importance of targeted interventions to improve mental health among mothers participating in SNAP who are experiencing food insecurity.

Funding Sources: Oklahoma State University College of Education and Human Sciences