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Accepted manuscript

Food insecurity and suicidal behaviors among Bangladeshi university students: a multi-institutional cross-sectional study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2024

Nitai Roy Open the ORCID record for Nitai Roy [Opens in a new window] ,
Mohammed Aktarujjaman ,
Aysha Siddiky ,
Kakali Mollick ,
Sultan Mahmud Imran  and
Mohammed A. Mamun
Nitai Roy*
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh
Mohammed Aktarujjaman
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh
Aysha Siddiky
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh
Kakali Mollick
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh
Sultan Mahmud Imran
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh
Mohammed A. Mamun
Affiliation:
CHINTA Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh Department of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
*
*Correspondence: Nitai Roy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh. Phone: +880-1774313635. Email: nitai@pstu.ac.bd
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Abstract

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Objective:

Suicidal behaviors among students pose a significant public health concern, with mental health problems being well-established risk factors. However, the association between food insecurity (FIS) and suicidal behaviors remains understudied, particularly in Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between FIS and suicidal behaviors among Bangladeshi university students.

Design:

A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was conducted between August 2022 and September 2022. Information related to socio-demographic, mental health problems, FIS and related events, and suicidal behaviors were collected. Chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression models, both unadjusted and adjusted, were employed to examine the relationship between FIS and suicidal behavior.

Setting:

Six public universities in Bangladesh.

Participants:

1,480 students from diverse academic disciplines.

Results:

A substantial proportion of respondents experienced FIS, with 75.5% reporting low or very low food security. Students experiencing FIS had significantly higher prevalence of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts compared to food-secure students (18.6% vs. 2.8%, 8.7% vs. 0.8%, and 5.4% vs. 0.3%, respectively; all p<0.001). In addition, students who have personal debt and participate in food assistance programs had higher risk of suicidal behaviors.

Conclusions:

This study sheds light on the association between FIS and suicidal behaviors among university students. Targeted mental health screening, evaluation, and interventions within universities may be crucial for addressing the needs of high-risk students facing FIS.

Keywords

Food insecuritySuicidal behaviorsUniversity studentsBangladesh
Type
Research Paper
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Accepted manuscript , pp. 1 - 24
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Authors 2024