Birth outcomes in relation to neighborhood food access and individual food insecurity during pregnancy in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Limited access to healthy foods, resulting from residence in neighborhoods with low-food access or from household food insecurity, is a public health concern. Contributions of these measures during pregnancy to birth outcomes remain understudied. OBJECTIVES: We examined associations between neighborhood food access and individual food insecurity during pregnancy with birth outcomes. METHODS: We used data from 53 cohorts participating in the nationwide Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes-Wide Cohort Study. Participant inclusion required a geocoded residential address or response to a food insecurity question during pregnancy and information on birth outcomes. Exposures include low-income-low-food-access (LILA, where the nearest supermarket is >0.5 miles for urban or >10 miles for rural areas) or low-income-low-vehicle-access (LILV, where few households have a vehicle and >0.5 miles from the nearest supermarket) neighborhoods and individual food insecurity. Mixed-effects models estimated associations with birth outcomes, adjusting for socioeconomic and pregnancy characteristics. RESULTS: Among 22,206 pregnant participants (mean age 30.4 y) with neighborhood food access data, 24.1% resided in LILA neighborhoods and 13.6% in LILV neighborhoods. Of 1630 pregnant participants with individual-level food insecurity data (mean age 29.7 y), 8.0% experienced food insecurity. Residence in LILA (compared with non-LILA) neighborhoods was associated with lower birth weight [ß -44.3 g; 95% confidence interval (CI): -62.9, -25.6], lower birth weight-for-gestational-age z-score (-0.09 SD units; -0.12, -0.05), higher odds of small-for-gestational-age [odds ratio (OR) 1.15; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.33], and lower odds of large-for-gestational-age (0.85; 95% CI: 0.77, 0.94). Similar findings were observed for residence in LILV neighborhoods. No associations of individual food insecurity with birth outcomes were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Residence in LILA or LILV neighborhoods during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes. These findings highlight the need for future studies examining whether investing in neighborhood resources to improve food access during pregnancy would promote equitable birth outcomes.

Associations of COVID-19-Related Health, Healthcare and Economic Factors With Prenatal Depression and Anxiety.

Objective: This study evaluated whether COVID-19 pandemic-related health, healthcare and economic factors during pregnancy are associated with prenatal depression and anxiety. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 6,628 pregnant members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who responded to a survey between 22 June and 30 September 2020. The survey included questions about depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) symptoms and COVID-19-related health and healthcare (e.g., had COVID-19) and economic (e.g., food insecurity) factors. Results: Over one third of individuals reported depression (25% mild, 8% moderate, 3% severe) or anxiety (22% mild, 8% moderate, 5% severe) symptoms. In multivariable analyses, COVID-19 during pregnancy, employment with greater risk of COVID-19, distress over changes in prenatal care, job loss, changes in childcare and food insecurity were associated with greater odds of prenatal depression or anxiety. Conclusion: Findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic may have severe mental health repercussions for pregnant individuals. Support services for pregnant individuals experiencing these COVID-19-related factors and monitoring of those who had moderate/severe prenatal depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic is warranted.

Contributions of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stressors to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health During Pregnancy.

Background: This study aimed to identify racial and ethnic disparities in prenatal mental health and identify COVID-19 pandemic-related health/healthcare and economic contributors to these disparities, using an established framework for disparity investigation. Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 10,930 pregnant people at Kaiser Permanente Northern California who completed an online survey between June 22, 2020 and April 28, 2021 on COVID-19 pandemic-related health/healthcare and economic stressors, depression, and anxiety. Self-reported race and ethnicity were extracted from electronic health records. Weighted analyses were used to evaluate the association between racial and ethnic category and prenatal depression and anxiety; the prevalence of each stressor by race and ethnicity; and the relationship between each stressor and prenatal depression and anxiety in each racial and ethnic category. Results: The sample was 22% Asian, 3% Black, 20% Hispanic, 5% Other/Multiracial/Unknown, and 49% White. Compared to White people, Black and Hispanic people had a higher prevalence of prenatal depression (aPR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.45, 2.35 and aPR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.37, respectively) and anxiety (aPR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.34, 2.18 and aPR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.29, respectively). Compared to White people, Black and Hispanic people had a higher prevalence of moderate/severe distress due to changes in prenatal care (24 vs. 34 and 31%), and food insecurity (9 vs. 31 and 24%). Among Black and Hispanic people, distress due to changes in prenatal care was associated with a greater prevalence of prenatal depression (aPR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.41, 3.64 and aPR: 2.76, 95% CI: 2.12, 3.58, respectively) and prenatal anxiety (aPR: 3.00, 95% CI: 1.85, 4.84 and aPR: 2.82, 95% CI: 2.15, 3.71, respectively). Additionally, among Hispanic people, high-risk employment and food insecurity were associated with a greater prevalence of prenatal depression and anxiety. Conclusions: This study identified racial and ethnic disparities in mental health for pregnant Black and Hispanic people. Distress due to prenatal care changes contributed to the observed disparities in prenatal depression and anxiety for Black and Hispanic people and food insecurity additionally contributed to the observed disparities for Hispanic people. Addressing distress due to changes to prenatal care and food insecurity specifically in Black and Hispanic people may help reduce the high burden of poor mental health and reduce observed disparities in these communities.

Disparities in Risks of Inadequate and Excessive Intake of Micronutrients during Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate or excessive intake of micronutrients in pregnancy has potential to negatively impact maternal/offspring health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to compare risks of inadequate or excessive micronutrient intake in diverse females with singleton pregnancies by strata of maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, and prepregnancy BMI. METHODS: Fifteen observational cohorts in the US Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Consortium assessed participant dietary intake with 24-h dietary recalls (n = 1910) or food-frequency questionnaires (n = 7891) from 1999-2019. We compared the distributions of usual intake of 19 micronutrients from food alone (15 cohorts; n = 9801) and food plus dietary supplements (10 cohorts with supplement data; n = 7082) to estimate the proportion with usual daily intakes below their age-specific daily Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), above their Adequate Intake (AI), and above their Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), overall and within sociodemographic and anthropometric subgroups. RESULTS: Risk of inadequate intake from food alone ranged from 0% to 87%, depending on the micronutrient and assessment methodology. When dietary supplements were included, some women were below the EAR for vitamin D (20-38%), vitamin E (17-22%), and magnesium (39-41%); some women were above the AI for vitamin K (63-75%), choline (7%), and potassium (37-53%); and some were above the UL for folic acid (32-51%), iron (39-40%), and zinc (19-20%). Highest risks for inadequate intakes were observed among participants with age 14-18 y (6 nutrients), non-White race or Hispanic ethnicity (10 nutrients), less than a high school education (9 nutrients), or obesity (9 nutrients). CONCLUSIONS: Improved diet quality is needed for most pregnant females. Even with dietary supplement use, >20% of participants were at risk of inadequate intake of ≥1 micronutrients, especially in some population subgroups. Pregnancy may be a window of opportunity to address disparities in micronutrient intake that could contribute to intergenerational health inequalities.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes by BMI: Patient Outcomes Research To Advance Learning (PORTAL) Multisite Cohort of Adults in the U.S.

OBJECTIVE: To examine racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes by BMI category. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a consortium of three U.S. integrated health care systems, 4,906,238 individuals aged ≥20 years during 2012-2013 were included. Diabetes and prediabetes were ascertained by diagnosis and laboratory results; antihyperglycemic medications were also included for diabetes ascertainment. RESULTS: The age-standardized diabetes and prediabetes prevalence estimates were 15.9% and 33.4%, respectively. Diabetes but not prediabetes prevalence increased across BMI categories among all racial/ethnic groups (P for trend < 0.001). Racial/ethnic minorities reached a given diabetes prevalence at lower BMIs than whites; Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and Asians had a diabetes prevalence of 24.6% (95% CI 24.1-25.2%) in overweight and 26.5% (26.3-26.8%) in obese class 1, whereas whites had a prevalence of 23.7% (23.5-23.8%) in obese class 2. The age-standardized prediabetes prevalence estimates in overweight among Hispanics (35.6% [35.4-35.7%]), Asians (38.1% [38.0-38.3%]), and Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (37.5% [36.9-38.2%]) were similar to those in obese class 4 among whites (35.3% [34.5-36.0%]), blacks (36.8% [35.5-38.2%]), and American Indians/Alaskan Natives (34.2% [29.6-38.8%]). In adjusted models, the strength of association between BMI and diabetes was highest among whites (relative risk comparing obese class 4 with normal weight 7.64 [95% CI 7.50-7.79]) and lowest among blacks (3.16 [3.05-3.27]). The association between BMI and prediabetes was less pronounced. CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic minorities had a higher burden of diabetes and prediabetes at lower BMIs than whites, suggesting the role of factors other than obesity in racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes and prediabetes risk and highlighting the need for tailored screening and prevention strategies.

Predictive Models for Characterizing Disparities in Exclusive Breastfeeding Performance in a Multi-ethnic Population in the US.

OBJECTIVES: Maternal lactation performance varies across populations, yet the relative impact of maternal sociodemographics, perinatal factors, and birth outcomes on disparities in exclusive breastfeeding (XBR) outcomes is not well known. We aimed to develop predictive models and compare the relative contribution of predictors for XBR initiation and XBR ≥ 6 months. METHODS: Infant feeding data were obtained from women with children aged 0-6 years (n = 1471) in a multi-ethnic cross-sectional study in the US (2011-2012). We compared discriminant ability of predictors for ever XBR and XBR ≥ 6 months using discriminant function analysis, respectively. We also calculated adjusted ORs for factors associated with XBR outcomes and breast-bottle feeding (BrBot) subgroups. RESULTS: Maternal sociodemographics (education level, marital status, nativity, and age at childbirth) had greater discriminating abilities in predicting ever XBR and XBR ≥ 6 months than birth outcomes and perinatal factors. Foreign-born women were two-fold more likely to initiate XBR but not necessarily continue to 6 months compared to their US-born counterparts. Factors associated with BrBot subgroups differed from those associated with XBR outcomes, whereas maternal age was the only predictor consistently associated with ever XBR, XBR ≥ 6 months, and BrBot subgroups. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for models predicting ever XBR and XBR ≥ 6 months were 0.88 (95 % CI 0.85, 0.91) and 0.90 (95 % CI 0.88, 0.93), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the importance of educational, clinical, and social support to promote XBR in mothers with sociodemographic factors predictive of none or poor XBR outcomes.