Gestational diabetes & diabetes in pregnancy
Food Insecurity in Pregnancy, Receipt of Food Assistance, and Perinatal Complications
Authors' conclusion
In this cohort study, food insecurity in pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of perinatal complications, and these associations were overall attenuated to the null among individuals who received food assistance in pregnancy. These findings support clinical guidelines of screening for food insecurity in pregnancy and provide evidence to expand food assistance programs that may help improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Individuals who delivered singletons, pregnancy survey June 22, 2020–September 9, 2022, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
- Participants
- 19,338 individuals
- Exposure
- Food insecurity vs no food insecurity in pregnancy
- Food insecurityn = 2,707
- Outcome
- Maternal (GDM, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery) and neonatal (preterm birth, NICU admission, SGA, LGA) complications and composite adverse perinatal outcome (APO)
Methodological detailsmodified Poisson regression, covariate-adjusted, stratified by receipt of food assistance
- Modified Poisson regression, covariate-adjusted
- Stratified by receipt of food assistance
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Perinatal complications
Each group vs no food insecurityEstimate (95% CI)
Food insecurity
aRR, GDM 1.13(1.01–1.29)
Food insecurity
aRR, preeclampsia 1.28(1.11–1.49)
Food insecurity
aRR, preterm birth 1.19(1.02–1.38)
Food insecurity
aRR, NICU admission 1.23(1.07–1.42)
Food insecurity
aRR, APO 1.07(1.02–1.13)
- Reported food insecurity in pregnancy
- 2707 (14.0%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Subgroup: received food assistance in pregnancy (n=1471, 7.6%) | aRR, preeclampsia 1.64 (95% CI 1.06–2.53) | |
| Subgroup: did not receive food assistance in pregnancyFood insecurityvs No food insecurity | aRR, GDM 1.20 (95% CI 1.04–1.37) | |
| Subgroup: did not receive food assistance in pregnancyFood insecurityvs No food insecurity | aRR, preeclampsia 1.24 (95% CI 1.06–1.46) | |
| Subgroup: did not receive food assistance in pregnancyFood insecurityvs No food insecurity | aRR, preterm birth 1.23 (95% CI 1.05–1.46) | |
| Subgroup: did not receive food assistance in pregnancyFood insecurityvs No food insecurity | aRR, NICU admission 1.31 (95% CI 1.12–1.52) | |
| Subgroup: did not receive food assistance in pregnancyFood insecurityvs No food insecurity | aRR, APO 1.12 (95% CI 1.06–1.18) | |
| 0.20.5125Ratio (log scale) |
Subgroup: received food assistance in pregnancy (n=1471, 7.6%)
- Associations with other perinatal complications attenuated to the null
Original publication
Food Insecurity in Pregnancy, Receipt of Food Assistance, and Perinatal Complications. JAMA Netw Open. Published 2 January 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →