Publication type
Journal Article
Series Number
Authors
Publication date
May 15, 2026
Summary:
Mental health in the United Kingdom is declining, particularly among those experiencing food insecurity, whilst food bank use is increasing. This study uses data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (2009–2024) to examine associations between food bank use and mental health, measured by the General Health Questionnaire for which responses were on a 4-point scale and reverse-scored with potential scores of 0–36, with higher scores representing more favourable mental health. Propensity matching on demographic factors (gender; age; education level; income; employment status; marital status; number of children; UK region) was employed to compare mental health between households that used foodbanks, those not using food banks and those who were unable to access a food bank. Results indicated that people who used food banks had significantly lower mental health than those who did not. A novel finding was that people who sought but could not access food banks had even lower mental health than those who had accessed food banks. This implies that attending a food bank may be beneficial to mental health. Policies and interventions that improve access to food banks could assist users in achieving better mental health and in meeting the United Nations (2012) Sustainable Development Goals related to food provision and mental health.
Published in
Food and Humanity
Volume
Volume: 6:101091
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foohum.2026.101091
ISSN
29498244
Subjects
Notes
Open Access
Under a Creative Commons license
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