Occurrence and predictors of food insecurity in a sample of pregnant women recruited from an Australian hospital.

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study is to explore the occurrence of food insecurity among pregnant women in Australia.

Methods: This cross-sectional, self-reported study included two measures of food insecurity (the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module and single item measure), use of emergency and community food assistance, health conditions, eating habits during pregnancy, and professional nutritional advice and health seeking behaviours. Participants were recruited using (1) an advertisement posted on social media and (2) flyers with a QR code linked to the online survey, made available for women to take from clinic rooms at a hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. Data were analysed using basic statistics, spearman's rho correlation coefficients, and linear regression to identify factors that may be associated with food insecurity among pregnant women in Australia; the study was open between May 2021 and March 2022.

Results: Three hundred and three valid responses were received from pregnant women in Australia. Food insecurity was determined to be 14.5% (US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module) and 6.3% (single item used). Food insecurity was significantly associated with income, education level and age.

Conclusions: Results indicate a high prevalence of food insecurity among pregnant women. Routine screening and referral of food insecure pregnant women should be considered in antenatal care settings.