Prevalence of Food Insecurity in Pregnant Women in Khorramabad City and its Association with General Health and other Factors

Food insecurity can result in undesirable health outcomes in various groups. Since pregnant women are of vulnerable groups within the society and their food insecurity may cause complications during pregnancy, the aim of this study was to investigate food security status and other factors linked to general health in pregnant women referred to health care centers in Khorramabad City, Lorestan, Iran.

This study was carried out on 148 pregnant women selected by random cluster sampling from eight comprehensive health centers in Khorramabad. Food security was assessed using Radimer-Cornell questionnaire. Furthermore, general health questionnaires (GHQ) with 28 questions and nutrition evaluation forms were completed for each subject by health center nutritionists through interviews. For data analysis, statistical tests such as student T test and chi square were used to identify the associated factors of logistic regression.

Results demonstrated that the food security of pregnant women was significantly correlated with education level, number of previous pregnancies, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and weight gain range based on pre-pregnancy BMI (P<0.05). Moreover, a significant negative relationship was seen between the food insecurity of pregnant women and their general health scores in all four subscales (P<0.05). No significant relationships were seen between the age and history of abortion in pregnant women with food security.

Women in food insecurity households are more likely to show lower general health scores and have fewer children and lower education level. These can endanger food-insecure women at higher risks.