(P17-061-25) Food Security and Its Association With Depression and Anxiety Among Mexican Undergraduate Students: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between food insecurity and the predisposition to depression and anxiety among undergraduate Mexican students, as well as to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 isolation period on these variables.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among undergraduate students with a median age of 20.0 years (IQR 3) before (2019, n=1292), during (2020, n=1083), and after (2022, n=553) the COVID-19 pandemic. FIS was assessed using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA). Depression predisposition was evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), while anxiety predisposition was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7).

Results: The prevalence of food insecurity varied significantly across the three groups (2019, 58.7%; 2020, 53.3%; 2022, 46.8%; p < 0.001). Depression predisposition was significantly higher (p < 0.001) during the COVID-19 isolation period (59.0%) compared to the 2019 group (59.0%) and the 2022 group (63.7%), with no significant difference between pre and post-isolation periods (p=0.060). Anxiety predisposition was significantly lower before the COVID-19 pandemic (67.7%, p< 0.001) compared to the 2020 (74.3%) and 2022 (72.9%) groups, with no significant difference between the latter two (p=0.526). Finally, a subsample of 291 subjects was assessed in both pre and post-isolation periods. Individuals who were food insecure in 2019 were eight times more likely to remain food insecure during the COVID isolation (OR 8.07, 95%CI 4.77-13.78). Conversely, individuals who were food secure in 2019 had 72% lower odds of becoming food insecure during the isolation period (OR 0.28, 95%CI 0.18-0.43).

Conclusions: Food insecurity prevalence showed a notable decline after the COVID-19 isolation period, yet the pandemic was associated with heightened levels of depression and anxiety among students. The findings also indicate that pre-existing food insecurity strongly influenced its persistence during the isolation period, emphasizing the lasting impact of social and economic vulnerabilities exacerbated by the pandemic

Funding Sources: No funding was received.