Food Insecurity With Hunger and Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents From 53 Countries
Authors
Lee Smith ; Philip B. Ward ; Davy Vancampfort ; Guillermo Felipe López-Sánchez ; Lin Yang ; Igor Grabovac ; Louis Jacob ; Damiano Pizzol ; Nicola Veronese ; Jae Il Shin ; Jinhee Lee ; Daragh T. McDermott ; Ai Koyanagi
Citation
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEXUAL HEALTH, Vol.33(1) : 88-98, 2021-01
Objectives: To examine the relationship of food insecurity with sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners and non-condom use. Methods: Data on food insecurity (hunger) and sexual behaviors from 205,296 adolescents from 53 countries. Associations were analyzed using meta-analysis. Results: Overall, 16.0% of the adolescents ever had sexual intercourse and the prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity was 44.9% and 6.2%, respectively. Moderate and severe food insecurity was associated with higher odds for sexual intercourse. Any food insecurity was significantly associated with condom nonuse at last sex. Conclusions: Food insecurity was associated with higher odds of ever having sexual intercourse dose-dependently.