Infant Sex-Specific Associations between Prenatal Food Insecurity and Low Birthweight: A Multistate Analysis
Dane A De Silva1, Marie E Thoma2, Elaine A Anderson2
1Division of Population Health Data, Office of Family Health Services, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, USA.
Insights
Prenatal food insecurity is linked to low birthweight, with a greater impact on female infants. Further research is needed to understand these sex-specific differences in birth outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Child Health
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Life Course Studies
Background:
- Low birthweight (LBW) increases neonatal mortality and adverse outcomes.
- Maternal sociodemographic factors do not fully explain LBW risks.
- Prenatal exposures, like food insecurity, are critical from a life course perspective.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prenatal food insecurity and low birthweight.
- To determine if this association exhibits sex-specific patterns.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data (2009-2017) from 11 states.
- Defined food insecurity via a single PRAMS question and LBW as <2500g.
- Employed multivariable logistic regression, stratified by infant sex and adjusted for covariates.
Main Results:
- 9.1% of 50,915 women reported food insecurity.
- Unadjusted: Food insecurity increased LBW odds (OR 1.38).
- Adjusted: Association diminished for males, persisted for females (aOR 1.13).
Conclusions:
- Prenatal food insecurity shows a sex-specific association with low birthweight.
- Female infants appear more vulnerable to LBW from prenatal food insecurity.
- Future research should use precise food insecurity measures and explore sex differences.
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.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
01:23Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the...
01:17Two-Way ANOVA
The two-way ANOVA analysis initially begins by stating the null hypothesis that there is an interaction effect between the two factors of a dataset. This effect can be visualized using line segments formed by joining the...