Infant Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Food Insecurity and Low Birthweight: A Multistate Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Low birthweight is associated with increased risk of neonatal mortality and adverse outcomes among survivors. As maternal sociodemographic factors do not explain all of the risk in low birthweight, exploring exposures occurring during critical periods, such as maternal food insecurity, should be considered from a life course perspective. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between prenatal food insecurity and low birthweight, as well as whether or not there may be a sex-specific response using a multistate survey. METHODS: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data of live births from 11 states during 2009-2017 were used, restricting to women with a singleton birth. Food insecurity was determined by a single question in PRAMS, and low birthweight was defined as a birth <2500 g. Multivariable logistic regression was used, stratified by infant sex and adjusted for maternal sociodemographic and prepregnancy health characteristics. RESULTS: There were n = 50,915 women from 2009 to 2017, with 9.1% experiencing food insecurity. Unadjusted results revealed that food-insecure mothers had an increased odds ratio of delivering a low-birthweight baby (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.53). Adjustment for covariates appeared to explain the association among male infants, whereas magnitudes remained greater among female infants (adjusted OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.35). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest a sex-specific response to prenatal food insecurity, particularly among female offspring. Future studies are warranted with more precise measures of food insecurity and to understand the difference by infant sex.

The Association Between Prenatal Food Insecurity and Breastfeeding Initiation and Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration: A Longitudinal Study Using Oregon PRAMS and PRAMS-2, 2008-2015.

Background: In the United States, 11.1% of households experience food insecurity; however, pregnant women are disproportionately affected. Maternal food insecurity may affect infant feeding practices, for example, through being a source of chronic stress that may alter the decision to initiate and continue breastfeeding. Thus, we sought to determine whether prenatal food insecurity was associated with breastfeeding (versus not) and exclusive breastfeeding duration among Oregon women. Method: The Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data of live births from 2008 to 2015 and the Oregon PRAMS-2 follow-up survey were used (n = 3,624) in this study. Associations with breastfeeding initiation and duration were modeled with multivariable logistic regression and accelerated failure time (AFT), respectively. Models were adjusted for maternal sociodemographic and pre-pregnancy health characteristics. Results: Nearly 10% of women experienced prenatal food insecurity. For breastfeeding initiation, unadjusted models suggested non-significant decreased odds (odds ratio (OR) 0.88 [confidence intervals (CI): 0.39, 1.99]), whereas adjusted models revealed a non-significant increased odds (OR 1.41 [CI: 0.58, 3.47]). Unadjusted AFT models suggested that food-insecure mothers had a non-significant decrease in exclusive breastfeeding duration (OR 0.76 [CI: 0.50, 1.17]), but adjustment for covariates attenuated results (OR 0.89 [CI: 0.57, 1.39]). Conclusions: Findings suggest minimal differences in breastfeeding practices when exploring food security status in the prenatal period, though the persistence of food insecurity may affect exclusive breastfeeding duration. Lower breastfeeding initiation may be due to other explanatory factors correlated with food insecurity and breastfeeding, such as education and marital status.

Health needs and health care utilization among rural, low-income women.

This study examined the correlates of health service utilization in a sample of low-income, rural women. Self-reported data were from Rural Families Speak (N = 275), a multi-state study of low-income, rural families in the U.S. collected in 2002. Findings indicated that women with health insurance, a regular doctor, and poorer overall physical health had higher incident rates of physician visits. Women who were divorced, separated or widowed and had more chronic health problems had higher incidence rates of emergency department (ED) use, while women living in counties with higher primary care physician rates had lower incidence rates of ED use. Future research and policies should focus on improved access to health insurance, increasing physician availability in rural areas, and providing rural women with a usual source of care, so as to reduce emergency services utilization for non-emergent needs and improve health status for this population.