Citation

Masa R, Chowa G, Bates C. Vulnerable Child. Youth Stud. 2018; 13(2): 170-182.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17450128.2017.1392054

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Food insecurity heightens risk for poor mental health and psychosocial functioning. Higher levels of future orientation influence numerous desirable behaviors. However, limited evidence exists on the association between food insecurity and future orientation, particularly in low-resource settings. The objective of this study was to examine the association between food insecurity and future orientation of Ghanaian youth and their parents. The study included a cross-sectional sample of 2656 youth and 2656 parents from 8 of Ghana's 10 regions. Food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Future orientation in the Ghanaian context was measured using three distinct factors adapted from the School Success Profile and the Consideration of Future Consequences scale. We analyzed our data using hierarchical linear modeling, with a three-level linear random-intercept model with covariates.

RESULTS suggest an inverse relationship between food insecurity and future orientation of youth and their parents. Food insecurity was consistently and significantly associated with lower orientation toward success (β = −0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.22, −0.14) and higher uncertainty of the future (β = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.17, 0.28) among youth, as well as lower consideration of future consequences (β = −0.15, 95% CI = −0.23, −0.06) among parents. Additionally, severe food insecurity was associated with the lowest future orientation scores for youth and their parents. Our findings indicate that, under conditions of food insecurity, youth and their parents lose sight of the future, which may come at a great cost. Encouraging individuals to engage in thinking about the future or to create future images of their selves may not be meaningful if their basic needs, including access to food, are not met. Programs that provide opportunities to generate income and accumulate assets may have a twofold effect of increasing access to food and improving future orientation.

Language: en

Keywords

Food insecurity; future orientation; Ghana; household; parents; youth