Table 3. Descriptive results of studies.
| Factor | Measure | Number of articles cited | Primary Author & Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Study | |||
| Cross-sectional | 12 | Bishwajit 2019; Gyasi 2020; Gogoi 2022; Koyanagi 2019; Pereira 2023; Rajkumar 2009; Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b; T 2022 | |
| Food Insecurity Outcome | |||
| In the last 12 months, how often did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough food?” and “In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry, but didn’t eat because you couldn’t afford enough food?” |
6 | Koyanagi 2019; Selvamani 2023; Smith, Shin 2021a; Smith 2021b; Smith 2022; Selvamani 2022 | |
| Responses to 5-item questionnaire on food security adapted from Longitudinal Ageing Study in India survey | 2 | Gogoi 2022; Muhammad T. 2022 | |
| “During the past 30 days, how often did you go hungry because there was not enough food in your home?” | 1 | Gyasi 2020 | |
| Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale | 1 | Pereira 2023 | |
| “In the last 12 months, how often did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough food?” | 1 | Bishwajit 2019 | |
| "experiencing hunger within the previous one month" | 1 | Rajkumar 2009 | |
| Mental Health Outcome | |||
| Depression | 6 | Pereira 2023; Rajkumar 2009; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b; Bishwajit 2019; Muhammad T. 2022 | |
| Psychological distress | 2 | Gogoi 2022; Gyasi 2020 | |
| Suicidal Ideation | 1 | Smith 2022 | |
| Perceived Stress | 1 | Selvamani 2022; | |
| Cognitive impairment | 1 | Koyanagi 2019 | |
| Life Satisfaction | 1 | Selvamani 2022 | |
| Age Studied | |||
| 50+ | 6 | Bishwajit 2019; Gyasi 2020; Koyanagi 2019; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith et al., 2021a | |
| 60+ | 4 | Gogoi 2022; Pereira 2023; Selvamani 2023; Muhammad T. 2022 | |
| 65+ | 2 | Rajkumar 2009; Smith 2021b | |
| Study Findings | |||
| Positive Association between mental health & food insecurity (for all levels of food insecurity) | 8 | Bishwajit 2019; Gyasi 2020; Gogoi 2022; Koyanagi 2019; Pereira 2023; Selvamani 2022; Selvamani 2023; Smith 2022 | |
| Positive Association between mental health & food insecurity (did not specify severity) | 2 | Rajkumar 2009; Muhammad T. 2022 | |
| Positive Association between mental health & food insecurity (Associated for severe FI only) | 2 | Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| Year published | |||
| 2023 | 2 | Pereira 2023; Selvamani 2023 | |
| 2022 | 4 | Gogoi 2022; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Muhammad T. 2022 | |
| 2021 | 2 | Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| 2020 | 2 | Bishwajit 2019; Gyasi 2020 | |
| 2019 | 1 | Koyanagi 2019 | |
| 2009 | 1 | Rajkumar 2009 | |
| Location & World Bank Classification | |||
| India (middle-income country) | 8 | Gogoi 2022; Rajkumar 2009; Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b; Muhammad T. 2022 | |
| South Africa (middle-income country) | 7 | Bishwajit 2019; Koyanagi 2019; Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| Ghana (middle-income country) | 6 | Gyasi 2020; Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| China (middle-income country) | 5 | Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| Mexico (middle-income country) | 5 | Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| Russia (middle-income country) | 5 | Selvamani 2023; Selvamani 2022; Smith 2022; Smith 2021a; Smith 2021b | |
| Brazil (middle-income country) | 1 | Pereira 2023 |