Recorded presentation

Barbara A. Laraia, PhD, MPH, RD, Department of Nutrition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolina Population Center, CB #8120, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8120, (919)966-5969, blaraia@email.unc.edu, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, RD, Dept. of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7445, Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, and Craig Gundersen, PhD, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, 74 LeBaron Hall, Ames, IA 50011.

Objective: To examine the effect of food insecurity on diet related pregnancy complications. Methods: The analysis included 777 Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition study participants who completed the 18-item food security scale. Food secure status was categorized if all responses were negative; marginally food insecure if one or two affirmative responses; and food insecure if three or more affirmative responses. Gestational diabetes and anemia status were determined by chart review. Multinomial logistic regressions without and with backward elimination were employed. Results: Prevalence of marginal food insecurity and food insecurity were 8% and 5.5%. On average, women from marginally food insecure and food insecure households were younger and less educated, had a lower proportion being married, a greater number of children and a lower mean household income than food secure women. Restricting the sample to < 400% of poverty, women from food insecure and marginally food insecure households were at three fold greater risk of gaining excessive weight (AOR=3.4, 95% CI 1.2, 10.2) controlling for BMI, marital status, age, race and poverty, than food secure women. Race stratified analysis of the relationship between food security and gestational diabetes showed food insecure and marginally food insecure White women were at almost five times greater risk of gestational diabetes (AOR=4.9, 95% CI 1.2, 20.2) than food secure White women. This association, however, was not found for Black women (crude OR=0.76, 95% CI 0.14, 4.1). No association was found between food insecurity and anemia. Conclusion: Further investigation of the food insecurity-gestational diabetes association is needed.

Learning Objectives: Learning objectives

• Participants will be able to describe food insecurity,
• Participants will understand the relationship between food insecurity and pregnancy complications of excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes and anemia,
• Participants will identify strategies to integrate nutrition intervention into existing program that serve the identified population.

Keywords: Food Security, Pregnancy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation