Impact of Food Insecurity on Psychological Distress, Eating Disorder Risk, and Weight Bias Internalization: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chilean Adults

Background: Food insecurity is a global issue associated with negative effects on both physical and mental health. In Chile, it affects a growing number of people, and, despite this, its relationship with psychological distress, internalized weight bias, and eating disorder risk has not been sufficiently studied. Objective: This study aims to explore the relationship between levels of food insecurity and psychological outcomes (psychological distress, eating disorder risk, and internalized weight bias) in Chilean adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 107 adult participants (83.5% women), using the FIES scale to measure food insecurity, the DASS-21 scale to assess psychological distress, and the EDI-3 and WBIS-M scales to measure eating disorder risk and internalized weight bias. To assess the impact of food insecurity levels on psychological variables, PERMANOVA was used. Comparisons between food insecurity levels on each dependent variable were conducted using Kruskal-Wallis analysis. Results: 62.6% of participants experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. The results showed that severe food insecurity was significantly associated with higher levels of psychological distress, body dissatisfaction, and internalized weight bias. Body dissatisfaction emerged as the most relevant factor in the relationship between food insecurity and eating disorder risk. Conclusions: This study provides relevant evidence on the relationship between food insecurity and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress), the risk of eating disorders, and internalized weight bias. The results underscore the need to address the emotional and psychological impact of food insecurity in interventions aimed at vulnerable populations. Further longitudinal research is needed to better understand the dynamics between these variables and their influence on mental health.