COVID-19 Pandemic and Food Insecurity Fuel the Mental Health Crisis in Africa

• Main Authors: Jule Beck (Author), Anke Koebach (Author), Liliana Abreu (Author), Mekdim Dereje Regassa (Author), Anke Hoeffler (Author), Wolfgang Stojetz (Author), Tilman Brück (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1661-8564; 10.3389/ijph.2023.1606369
• Keywords: generalized anxiety disorder; mental health; COVID-19; food insecurity; Africa; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: International Journal of Public Health, Vol 68 (2024)

Objective: Providing country-level estimates for prevalence rates of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), COVID-19 exposure and food insecurity (FI) and assessing the role of persistent threats to survival-exemplified by exposure to COVID-19 and FI-for the mental health crisis in Africa.Methods: Original phone-based survey data from Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda (12 consecutive cross-sections in 2021; n = 23,943) were analyzed to estimate prevalence rates of GAD. Logistic regression models and mediation analysis using structural equation models identify risk and protective factors.Results: The overall prevalence of GAD in 2021 was 23.3%; 40.2% in Mozambique, 17.0% in Sierra Leone, 18.0% in Tanzania, and 19.1% in Uganda. Both COVID-19 exposure (ORadj. 1.4; CI 1.3-1.6) and FI (ORadj 3.2; CI 2.7-3.8) are independent and significant predictors of GAD. Thus, the impact of FI on GAD was considerably stronger than that of COVID-19 exposure.Conclusion: Persistent threats to survival play a substantial role for mental health, specifically GAD. High anxiety prevalence in the population requires programs to reduce violence and enhance social support. Even during a pandemic, addressing FI as a key driver of GAD should be prioritized by policymakers.