Author: Public Library of Science
Source: Medical Xpress
Publish date: October 15, 2025
Study finds UK food insecurity is associated with mental health conditions
Food insecurity affects about one in 13 (7.8%) U.K. households, with higher rates of food insecurity found in Black British households and people with long-term mental health conditions, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Maddy Power of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U.K., and colleagues.
Food insecurity—defined as limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods—has become an increasingly urgent public health concern in the U.K. In the study, researchers analysed data from the 2019/20 Family Resource Survey, which included 19,210 private U.K. households.
Overall, 7.8% of respondents were food insecure, but rates varied significantly by sociodemographic factors. Food insecurity was significantly higher among Black/African/Caribbean/Black British households (20%) compared to white households (7%), and was more common in younger, single, lower-income, renting, and benefit-receiving households.
Food insecurity was also associated with longstanding illness affecting mental health (AOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.70–2.39). This was true across all ethnic groups, but Asian/Asian British respondents experiencing food insecurity reported the highest odds of having a longstanding illness affecting their mental health (AOR 2.63, 95% CI 1.05–6.56).
The study was limited by surveying one person per household rather than all household members, by using a 30-day rather than 12-month reference period for food insecurity, which likely underestimates its prevalence, and by the 2019–2020 time frame.
The study design also precludes determining any causation behind the observed associations. However, the authors conclude that the finding of an association between food insecurity and mental health for all U.K. ethnic groups necessitates a population-wide response alongside targeted interventions.
The authors add, “At a time of societal division and growing racism, we find marked differences in levels of food insecurity by ethnic group, with Black/African/Caribbean/Black British respondents reporting particularly high food insecurity.
“We find an especially strong association between food insecurity and mental health among some minority ethnic groups, showing that, despite rhetoric, ethnic minority groups remain disadvantaged in the U.K., and policies to reduce inequalities are essential.”
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