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Coping with Food Insecurity Among African American in Public-Sector Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Study

Community Mental Health Journal volume 55, pages 440–447 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

While there are high rates of food insecurity among individuals with serious mental illnesses, and among African Americans, there is very little research on the ways African Americans in public-sector mental health services cope with food insecurity. This research paper presents qualitative data from a mixed methods study on the prevalence and management of food insecurity among African Americans using public sector mental health services. We interviewed 21 people about their everyday experiences of food insecurity and strategies they used to cope. While participants reported experiencing high levels of food insecurity, they also described the use of communal strategies to help them cope, including sharing food and cooking meals jointly, which seemed to reduce the negative effects of living with high levels of food insecurity as well as a serious mental illness. Policy innovations like communal gardens and kitchens provided through public mental health services may be particularly helpful.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750336, Dallas, TX, 75275-0336, USA

    Neely Myers, Katherine Fox & Leea Thompson

  2. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Neely Myers & Anubha Sood

  3. Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Yazeed Alolayan

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY, USA

    Beth Broussard

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

    Kelly King

  6. Washington, DC, USA

    Elizabeth LoGalbo

  7. Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA

    Michael T. Compton

Authors
  1. Neely Myers
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  2. Anubha Sood
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  3. Yazeed Alolayan
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  4. Beth Broussard
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  5. Katherine Fox
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  6. Kelly King
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  7. Elizabeth LoGalbo
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  8. Leea Thompson
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  9. Michael T. Compton
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Correspondence to Neely Myers.

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Myers, N., Sood, A., Alolayan, Y. et al. Coping with Food Insecurity Among African American in Public-Sector Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Study. Community Ment Health J 55, 440–447 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00376-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-019-00376-x

Keywords

  • African American
  • Community mental health
  • Food security
  • Public policy
  • Serious mental illness