Food Insecurity, Food Behaviours, Diet Quality and Mental Wellbeing in the UK: A Nationally-Representative Cross-Sectional Study Amid the Cost-of-Living Crisis

Since late 2021, the UK has been experiencing a cost-of-living crisis which has increased the number of households vulnerable to food insecurity. Food insecurity is a contributing factor for poorer mental health, higher rates of obesity and lower diet quality. Improving cooking skills and food-related practices may alleviate the experience of or severity of food insecurity. However, confidence in adopting cooking skills and food-related behaviours amongst different food security statuses are unknown. This primary research aimed to investigate the relationships between food insecurity, mental wellbeing, dietary quality, and food behaviours in the UK.A nationally representative cross-sectional survey was undertaken with 1493 adults in April 2023. Participants were recruited using a market research company. Data on food insecurity, mental wellbeing, diet quality and food behaviours were collected, using validated measures where available. Data analysis consisted of chi-square tests of homogeneity, Kruskal-Wallis H tests and hierarchical multiple regression modelling with adjustment of relevant covariates.Within the sample, 49.9% were male, mean age was 44.7 years (SD 16.3), 35.9% were classified into groups of with low (22.2%) or very low (13.7%) food security. Analyses indicated that low or very low food security was significantly associated with greater proportions of females, lower-income individuals, and those of non-white ethnicity (p < 0.05). These groups also reported poorer mental wellbeing and lower daily fruit and vegetable intake (p < 0.05). Adjusting for food insecurity and income, food engagement and cooking confidence were independently associated with higher mental wellbeing and better dietary intake (p < 0.001), models explained 28.5% and 16.4% of variance, respectively. Notably, individuals with marginal food security demonstrated lower confidence in changing food-related behaviours than those with very low or high food security.This study reveals high levels of food insecurity among UK adults, whilst also highlighting its association with poorer mental wellbeing and diet quality, particularly among higher risk groups. These findings emphasise the urgent need for implementing programs to improve confidence in cooking skills and food-related behaviours amongst those marginally food insecure, alongside calls for changes to upstream determinants of food insecurity to support reducing these dietary and health disparities.