Food insecurity status and perceived subjective well-being by maternal age and pregnancy status among women in Nigeria: a cross-sectional multilevel analysis.

Objective: To examine the association between household food insecurity (HFI) and low subjective well-being (SWB) among pregnant and postpartum women and determine whether these potential associations differed by maternal age and pregnancy status.

Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional data from women of reproductive age (15-49 years). HFI was measured using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and categorised as none/mild, moderate or severe. Weighted multilevel logistic regression models were used to estimate OR and 95 % CI for the association between HFI and low levels of three SWB measures: happiness, life satisfaction and optimism. Analyses were stratified by age and pregnancy status.

Setting: Data were drawn from the 2021 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, Round 6.

Participants: The analytic sample comprised 12 587 women who were pregnant at the time of the survey or within 24 months postpartum.

Results: HFI was significantly associated with all three measures of SWB, although the magnitude of associations varied by outcome, even after adjusting for individual-, household-and community-level characteristics. Stratified analyses revealed heterogeneity in the associations between HFI and SWB by age and pregnancy status. Overall, HFI was associated with lower levels of happiness, life satisfaction and optimism among pregnant and postpartum women in Nigeria.

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a negative association between HFI and SWB among pregnant and postpartum women in Nigeria. These associations were modified by maternal age and pregnancy status, suggesting that strategies to mitigate HFI should account for subgroup differences in order to effectively improve maternal well-being.