Moderate to severe food insecurity from pregnancy to 18 months postpartum: a descriptive study, Pelotas, 2016-2020

To assess moderate to severe food insecurity and association of its socioeconomic and demographic factors during pregnancy and at 18 months postpartum.

This was a descriptive study with a representative sample of women up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and at 18 months postpartum. Food insecurity was assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Households were classified as having moderate to severe food insecurity (no, yes). Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated using the chi-square test.

460 women were assessed. Prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity was 2.8% during pregnancy, 4.6% at 18 months postpartum, and 3.7% at both points in time. Moderate to severe food insecurity only at 18 months and at both points in time was more frequent in households of women where the head of the household had up to seven years of schooling (10.7% and 9.9%), family income up to R$ 1,500.00 (8.3% and 12.0%), Bolsa Família Program beneficiaries (16.1% and 12.9%), with four or more people living in the household (9.0% and 7.1%), and without paid work (5.0% and 7.2%). It was also higher among those who did not live with a partner (7.8%) and lived in households headed by women (11.0%). Absence of piped water was associated with higher prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity only during pregnancy (18.2%), only at 18 months (18.2%), and at both times (9.1%).

Moderate to severe food insecurity was related to unfavorable socioeconomic and demographic factors during pregnancy and the postpartum period.