Primary Role of Discouragement in Coexistence of Food Insecurity and Excess Weight in Costa Rican Women

ABSTRACT

Food insecurity coexists with excess weight in women in many countries, but why this occurs is not well understood. We aimed to understand why and how food insecurity and excess weight coexist. Two discussion groups, 5 focus groups, 7 in-depth interviews, and 2 member-checking sessions with 28 women in Costa Rica were conducted. The majority of these women felt discouraged. Discouragement resulted in anxiety. Anxiety leads these women to eat foods that are sweet and high in carbohydrates and energy. After eating, they felt remorse and shame, and these feelings led them to feel more discouraged. Discouragement is the primary link for the coexistence of food insecurity and excess weight. These results can inform future interventions with food insecure women.

KEYWORDS:

• Food insecurity
• women
• obesity
• coexistence
• discouragement
• depression
• empowerment

Acknowledgments

We thank Ivette Campos Moreira, Indira deBeausette, and Ana Catalina Vargas for their advice during the research process.

Funding

The authors are grateful for the support of the Vicerrectoria de Investigación de la Universidad de Costa Rica and the Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de la Universidad de Costa Rica.