Food Insecurity and Nutritional Status Among Pregnant Women Living in Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2025-03-31 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.70033

Noelia Bonfili, Lara Garnis, Mariela Nievas, Paula N. Gonzalez, Jimena Barbeito-Andrés

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

To analyze food insecurity (FI) in pregnant women from the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA) and its association with socio-economic variables and nutritional status, as well as to identify dietary patterns in women experiencing moderate and severe FI.

Methods

Between July 2021 and September 2023, an observational and cross-sectional study was performed. Data from 349 women was recorded in public health centers of disadvantaged urban areas. FI was assessed with the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and the nutritional status was evaluated using the body mass index by gestational age. Chi-square, Spearman, and Wilcoxon tests were used to examine associations between FI, nutritional status, socioeconomic conditions, and dietary patterns.

Results

Only 30% of interviewed women were classified as food secure, while 31% experienced moderate FI and 11.5% severe FI. Among socio-economic variables, fewer years of formal education and critical overcrowding were significantly associated with FI. A large part of the sample (68%) had some type of malnutrition (overweight or obesity: 52.7%, undernutrition: 11.2%), which was also significantly associated with FI. Dietary patterns differed between women with moderate and severe FI, with the latter consuming less healthy and more processed foods.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that women in reproductive ages living in urban areas from the AMBA region have elevated levels of FI, especially moderate FI, even when compared with other vulnerable populations from Latin America. This study confirmed that FI is related to different types of maternal malnutrition, which constitutes a prenatal adversity with diverse potential effects on the offspring.

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布宜诺斯艾利斯（阿根廷）大都市区社会经济弱势孕妇的粮食不安全和营养状况

目的分析布宜诺斯艾利斯大都会区（AMBA）孕妇的粮食不安全状况（FI）及其与社会经济变量和营养状况的关系，并确定中度和重度FI孕妇的饮食模式。方法在2021年7月至2023年9月期间，进行了一项观察性和横断面研究。在处境不利的城市地区的公共卫生中心记录了349名妇女的数据。采用食物不安全体验量表（FIES）评价营养状况，采用胎龄体重指数评价营养状况。采用卡方检验、斯皮尔曼检验和Wilcoxon检验来检验FI、营养状况、社会经济条件和饮食模式之间的关系。结果只有30%的受访女性被归类为食物安全，31%经历中度FI， 11.5%经历严重FI。在社会经济变量中，较少的正规教育年限和过度拥挤与FI显著相关。大部分样本（68%）有某种类型的营养不良（超重或肥胖：52.7%，营养不良：11.2%），这也与FI显著相关。患有中度和重度FI的妇女的饮食模式不同，后者吃的不太健康，更多的是加工食品。我们的研究结果表明，与拉丁美洲其他弱势人群相比，生活在AMBA地区城市地区的育龄妇女FI水平较高，尤其是中度FI。本研究证实FI与不同类型的母体营养不良有关，构成了一种对后代有不同潜在影响的产前逆境。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.