AUTHOR=Beck Jule , Koebach Anke , Abreu Liliana , Regassa Mekdim Dereje , Hoeffler Anke , Stojetz Wolfgang , Brück Tilman 

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

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 68 - 2023

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1606369

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1606369

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=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 survivalexemplified by exposure to COVID-19 and FI -for the mental health crisis in Africa.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.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 ) 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.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.