Abstract
Objective Food insecurity is a prominent problem and has been implicated in adverse maternal
and neonatal outcomes. This study aims to describe the food insecure population in
an urban academic health center perinatal cohort.
Study Design We enrolled 451 postpartum inpatients at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center
who completed a questionnaire and were then categorized as food insecure based on
U.S. Department of Agriculture standardized survey questions. Generalized linear models
estimated the relative influence of maternal characteristics on food insecurity.
Results Among the study population (n = 426), 18.6% (95% confidence interval: 15.2–22.4%) were classified as food insecure.
Factors with increased adjusted relative risk on food insecurity include annual household
income <$40,000, obesity, and smoking. Food insecure women also reported lower levels
of love, satisfaction, and joy, and higher levels of despair.
Conclusion We recommend the use of a validated screening tool on all pregnant women with the
associated psychosocial stressors and social determinants of health.
Key Points
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Food insecurity is prevalent among pregnant women.
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Nearly one in five women (18.6%) in the study cohort were classified as food insecure.
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Food insecure pregnant women were more likely to have additional risks for adverse
health outcomes.
Keywords
food security - food insecurity - pregnancy - social determinants
