Impact of mental health on food security – Healthcare Economist
Understanding the impact of mental health issues on food security is challenging due to endogeneity and unobserved factors such as family and neighborhood characteristics. Furthermore, measurement error in surveys and self-reported measures of mental illness adds complexity to empirical analysis. Addressing these issues simultaneously is crucial to gain meaningful insights into this complex relationship.
Jansen et al. (2023) offer a solution by using nonparametric partial identification methods developed in Kreider and Hill (2009) and Kreider et al. (2012). By employing these methods on data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the authors focus on individuals reporting “nonspecific psychological distress (NPD)” according to the Kessler (K-6) scale.
The partial identification method allows for the estimation of the average treatment effect (ATE) to understand the potential impact of mental health distress on food security outcomes. It addresses the challenges posed by measurement uncertainty and unclear causality between mental health and food insecurity. The authors’ findings suggest that alleviating severe mental illness (SMI) could improve food security rates by at least 9.5 percentage points, or 15%.
For a more in-depth understanding of their methodology and results, readers can access the full paper and accompanying summary slide deck provided by the authors.
