Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy on Yasawa Island, Fiji

McKerracher, Luseadra; Collard, Mark; Henrich, Joseph

doi:10.1007/s12110-016-9262-y

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…This study investigated four hypotheses for food cravings in pregnancy: behavioural immunity, nutrient seeking, resource scarcity and bargaining. Similar to existing studies on pregnancy cravings, women were most likely to experience cravings for fruits [ 2 , 18 , 21 ]. Interestingly, cravings focused on unripe mango and unripe tamarind, two items that are high in antioxidants [ 53 , 54 ], yet culturally perceived as dangerous for the fetus if consumed in large quantities [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

A test of four evolutionary hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: evidence for the social bargaining model

Placek

2017

R. Soc. open sci.

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The onset of cravings for items not typically desired is often considered a hallmark of pregnancy. Given the ubiquity of cravings, this phenomenon remains surprisingly understudied. The current study tested four hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: behavioural immune system, nutrient seeking, resource scarcity and social bargaining. The research took place in Tamil Nadu, South India, with pregnant women residing in rural villages (N = 94). Methods included structured interviews and anthropometric measures. Findings revealed that unripe mango and unripe tamarind were the two most frequently mentioned food cravings among this population, but were not sufficiently supported by the a priori models. Results confirmed that the social bargaining model was the best explanation for the etic category of toxic/pathogenic food items, suggesting that pregnant women crave dangerous foods when experiencing heightened social pressures. Finally, toxicity/pathogenicity was a confounding factor for the nutrient seeking and resource scarcity models, calling into question the validity of these models in adverse environments. Overall, these findings present important implications for research on pregnancy food cravings, such that in resource-scarce and pathogen-dense environments, cravings might target teratogenic items that signal a need for increased social support.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

A test of four evolutionary hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: evidence for the social bargaining model

Placek

2017

R. Soc. open sci.

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“…It is obvious that observance of food taboos and adhering to related misconceptions about dietary prohibitions can negatively affect the nutrition and health status of pregnant women as well as the health, development, and life-long wellbeing of their growing babies [ 2 , 33 , 34 ]. In this study, some pregnant mothers were prohibited from consuming food items such as whole grains in the form of “kollo”, and legumes such as beans and chickpeas because they were believed to cause abdominal cramps during labor, to prolong labor, and to cause abdominal cramps to the newborn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food taboos and related misperceptions during pregnancy in Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

2020

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Introduction Most communities, rural or urban, have taboos regarding foods to avoid during pregnancy, and most have local explanations for why certain foods should be avoided. Such taboos may have health benefits, but they also can have large nutritional and health costs to mothers and fetuses. As such, understanding local pregnancy food taboos is an important public health goal, especially in contexts where food resources are limited. Despite this, information regarding food taboos is limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed food taboos, related misconceptions, and associated factors among pregnant women in Northern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study of 332 pregnant women in antenatal care (ANC) follow-up at selected private clinics in Mekelle city, Tigray, Ethiopa, recruited between April and May, 2017. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we assessed whether respondents' observed food taboos, what types of foods they avoided, their perceived reasons for avoidance, diversity of respondents' diets during pregnancy, and respondents' socio-demographic characteristics. After reporting frequency statistics for categorical variables and central tendencies (mean and standard deviation) of continuous variables, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the socio-demographic factors and diet diversity associated with food taboo practices. Results Around 12% of the pregnant women avoided at least one type of food during their current pregnancy for one or more reasons. These mothers avoided eating items such as yogurt, banana, legumes, honey, and "kollo" (roasted barley and wheat). The most common reasons given for the avoidances were that the foods were (mistakenly) believed to cause: abortion; abdominal cramps in the mother and newborn; prolonged labor; or coating of the fetus's body. Maternal education (diploma and above) (AOR: 4.55, 95%

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“…Our findings mirror those of other studies that have similarly shown how the presence of cultural practices and beliefs, acquired through social learning, can positively impact reproductive health. For example, several studies of pregnancy food taboos have been shown to map closely onto species that pose particular dangers to pregnant women and their fetuses (Henrich and Henrich 2010; McKerracher et al 2016; Placek et al 2017). Other studies have shown the importance of ideational factors, shared within groups and socially learned, to the practice of early infant care (Hadley et al 2010; Wutich and McCarty 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crucial Contributions

Scelza

Hinde

2019

Hum Nat

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Maternal grandmothers play a key role in allomaternal care, directly caring for and provisioning their grandchildren as well as helping their daughters with household chores and productive labor. Previous studies have investigated these contributions across a broad time period, from infancy through toddlerhood. Here, we extend and refine the grandmothering literature to investigate the perinatal period as a critical window for grandmaternal contributions. We propose that mother-daughter co-residence during this period affords targeted grandmaternal effort during a period of heightened vulnerability and appreciable impact. We conducted two focus groups and 37 semi-structured interviews with Himba women. Interviews focused on experiences from their first and, if applicable, their most recent birth and included information on social support, domains of teaching and learning, and infant feeding practices. Our qualitative findings reveal three domains in which grandmothers contribute: learning to mother, breastfeeding support, and postnatal health and well-being. We show that informational, emotional, and instrumental support provided to new mothers and their neonates during the perinatal period can aid in the establishment of the mother-infant bond, buffer maternal energy balance, and improve nutritional outcomes for infants. These findings demonstrate that the role of grandmother can be crucial, even when alloparenting is common and breastfeeding is frequent and highly visible. Situated within the broader anthropological and clinical literature, these findings substantiate the claim that humans have evolved in an adaptive sociocultural perinatal complex in which grandmothers provide significant contributions to the health and well-being of their reproductive-age daughters and grandchildren.

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Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy on Yasawa Island, Fiji

Cited by 19 publications

References 70 publications

A test of four evolutionary hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: evidence for the social bargaining model

A test of four evolutionary hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: evidence for the social bargaining model

Food taboos and related misperceptions during pregnancy in Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

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