Factors Associated with Food Insecurity among Pregnant Women and Caregivers of Children Aged 0–6 Years: A Scoping Review

Abstract

With a global focus on improving maternal and child nutrition through the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, it is important to understand food insecurity in pregnant women and families with young children, as food insecurity at these life stages can have ongoing negative health consequences. However, factors that influence food insecurity among this population group are not well understood. This scoping review investigates the factors that influence food insecurity among pregnant women and households with young children aged 0–6 years living in high-income countries. A scoping literature review was conducted using four electronic databases. The search combined terms relevant to: food security, determinants, pregnancy and family and high-income countries. Only full text and English language articles were included. The search identified 657 titles and abstracts; 29 articles were included in the review. A majority (70%) of the studies were conducted in the United States and were mostly either cross-sectional or secondary data analysis of existing population data. Factors associated with food insecurity were identified and grouped into 13 constructs. These included social, economic and health risk factors, food access and utilization factors and health and dietary outcomes. This scoping review identifies the factors associated with food insecurity among pregnant women and families with young children that could be used to better measure and understand food insecurity, which could assist in developing program and policy responses. This review also highlights the lack of literature from high-income countries outside the US.

Screening Food Insecure during Pregnancy: Pilot Testing an Effective Brief Tool for Use in an Australian Antenatal Care Setting

“…Of the 449 surveys that were attempted, 66 were excluded as the respondent did not consent to the study or no questions were answered, 29 were excluded as they were currently not pregnant, 51 respondents were excluded as they did not answer one or more questions about food insecurity, leaving 303 participants with complete data who have been included in the analysis. For details on the sample and the factors that may contribute to food insecurity in this population please see [ 30 , 31 ]. Food insecurity was estimated using the single item and the 2-item, 6-item, and 10-item versions of the HFSSM, with the levels of food insecurity 6.2%, 11.4%, 11.7% and 14.3%, respectively, (see Table 2 ).…”

Development of a Comprehensive Household Food Security Tool for Families with Young Children and/or Pregnant Women in High Income Countries

“…The full details of the scoping literature review and qualitative interviews have been published elsewhere (References [ 15 , 16 ]). In brief, findings from the qualitative interviews identified a range of prominent themes associated with food insecurity.…”

“…The study was designed and has been reported in accordance with the COREQ checklist for qualitative studies [ 14 ]. The first two stages of this study are summarized below and have been published with full details available [ 15 , 16 ] with the next three stages reported in full detail for the first time below.…”

“…The range of factors was identified and grouped into 13 overarching constructs. Detailed methods and findings of this scoping review have been published elsewhere [ 15 ].…”

“…conducted the initial mapping which was reviewed by co-authors (C.P., F.H.M., P.v.d.P., and S.M.). Further analysis of the food insecurity themes and constructs was conducted by comparison with known food security frameworks [ 15 , 22 ] to explore how the themes and constructs aligned. Discussion and a consensus on themes and constructs were reached amongst co-authors.…”