According to the World Health Organization, mental distress and related illnesses are becoming leading
causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Despite the influence of food insecurity on
mental health, empirical understanding of this relationship in sub-Saharan Africa, where incidence of
food insecurity is relatively high, is almost non-existent. This study contributes to the literature by
examining the association between food insecurity and mental health in the Upper West Region of
Ghana. We used Ordinary Least Square (OLS) to analyze cross-sectional data collected on household
heads (n ¼ 1438) in 2014 using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and the DUKE Health Profile.
The results show that heads of severely food insecure (b ¼ 0.934, p 0.001) and moderately food secure
households (b ¼ 0.759, p 0.001) were more likely to report elevated mental distress compared to those
from food secure households. We also found that female household heads were more likely to report
elevated mental distress (b ¼ 0.164, p 0.05) compared to their male counterparts. Our findings suggest
the need to improve food security as a strategy targeted at improving overall mental health in the
Ghanaian context.