Linkages between Food Insecurity and Depression in Later Life: Evidence from India

Sindhu Vasireddy, Mahindra University

This study examines the association between both the prevalence and incidence of food insecurity and depression among older adults in India. Our paper is novel in employing the use of panel data to study the incidence of this association, although this currently includes only two waves of the Study of Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) containing self-reported individual information on depressive symptoms and food shortage. Results indicate that an increase in the severity of food insecurity across the waves is strongly associated with the onset of depression and a decrease in food insecurity is strongly associated with the offset of depression even while controlling for respondents’ characteristics, their family resources, and their health behaviors and conditions. The findings clearly show that nourishment is a prerequisite for mental health. Depression has been ranked the highest among ailments with an unmet need for medication and treatment in India, and this has prompted the establishment of institutions and policy reforms for mental health. Our study contributes by indicating that policies and measures which aim to improve mental health for older adults in India strongly need to be supplemented with provisions to ensure adequate access to food.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Population Ageing, Older Adults and Intergenerational Relations, Longitudinal studies

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