AB0657 PERCEIVED STRESS AND FOOD INSECURITY IN PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN WITH RHEUMATIC DISEASES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background:The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has directly impacted the psychological and physical health of individuals worldwide, as well as the global economy. Food insecurity rates have risen especially in vulnerable countries like Mexico. Furthermore, social isolation and economic uncertainty have multiplied depression and anxiety disorders. Pregnant and postpartum women are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, increased stress, depression, and anxiety.Objectives:The aim of this study is to determine the perception of food insecurity (FI) and perceived stress in pregnant and postpartum women with rheumatic disease during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.Methods:An observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted. Patients from to the pregnancy and rheumatic diseases clinic of the University Hospital “Dr. José E. González” in Northeast Mexico evaluated between August to October 2020 were included. The Spanish validated versions of the Household Food Security Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were applied by telephonic interview. The WHO recommendations were employed to determine the appropriate intake for each food group in a week. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine normality of the data. The Spearman correlation coefficient and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 29 women were included. Six (20.6%) women were found to have moderate or severe degrees of food insecurity. In addition, 12 (40.30%) perceived moderate and severe levels of stress in the PSS-10. No relationship was found between food insecurity and perceived stress (p= 0.059). The food groups that exceeded the recommended weekly frequency were oils and sugars exceeded 3.9 and 2.9 frequencies, respectively.Conclusion:We found that 20.6% women suffered household food insecurity and 40.3% suffered moderate and severe levels of stress. No relationship was found between food insecurity with the HIFAS scale and perceived stress measures with the PSS-10. We found that oils and sugars exceeded more by the double of the recommended frequency per week.References:[1]Pérez-Escamilla R, Cunningham K, Moran VH. COVID-19 and maternal and child food and nutrition insecurity: a complex syndemic. Matern Child Nutr. 2020;16(3):e13036. doi:10.1111/mcn.13036[2]Adams EL, Caccavale LJ, Smith D, Bean MK. Food Insecurity, the Home Food Environment, and Parent Feeding Practices in the Era of COVID-19. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(11):2056-2063. doi:10.1002/oby.22996Table 1.Socio-demographic characteristics and scale results.Age, years, mean (SD)27.5 (7.03)Diagnosis, n (%)RA16 (55.1)SLE7 (24.4)Others6 (20.6)Results per scalesHFIAS, n (%)No risk13 (44.8)Mild10 (34.4)Moderated3 (10.3)Severe3 (10.3)EPP-10, n (%)Mild17 (58.6)Moderated9 (31.0)Severe3 (10.3)SD: standard deviation, RA: Rheumatoid arthritis, SLE: Systemic lupus erythematosus, HFIAS: Household food security access component scale, EPP-10: Perceived stress scale 10 items.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.

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High food insecurity in Latinx families and associated COVID-19 infection in the Greater Bay Area, California

BMC Nutrition ◽

10.1186/s40795-021-00419-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Milagro Escobar ◽

Andrea DeCastro Mendez ◽

Maria Romero Encinas ◽

Sofia Villagomez ◽

Janet M. Wojcicki

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

San Francisco ◽

Employment Status ◽

The United States ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Bay Area ◽

Household Food ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Food insecurity impacts nearly one-in-four Latinx households in the United States and has been exacerbated by the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We examined the impact of COVID-19 on household and child food security in three preexisting, longitudinal, Latinx urban cohorts in the San Francisco Bay Area (N = 375 households, 1875 individuals). Households were initially recruited during pregnancy and postpartum at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) and UCSF Benioff prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this COVID-19 sub-study, participants responded to a 15-min telephonic interview. Participants answered 18 questions from the US Food Security Food Module (US HFSSM) and questions on types of food consumption, housing and employment status, and history of COVID-19 infection as per community or hospital-based testing. Food security and insecurity levels were compared with prior year metrics. Results We found low levels of household food security in Latinx families (by cohort: 29.2%; 34.2%; 60.0%) and child food security (56.9%, 54.1%, 78.0%) with differences between cohorts explained by self-reported levels of education and employment status. Food security levels were much lower than those reported previously in two cohorts where data had been recorded from prior years. Reported history of COVID-19 infection in households was 4.8% (95% Confidence Interval (CI); 1.5–14.3%); 7.2% (95%CI, 3.6–13.9%) and 3.5% (95%CI, 1.7–7.2%) by cohort and was associated with food insecurity in the two larger cohorts (p = 0.03; p = 0.01 respectively). Conclusions Latinx families in the Bay Area with children are experiencing a sharp rise in food insecurity levels during the COVID-19 epidemic. Food insecurity, similar to other indices of poverty, is associated with increased risk for COVID-19 infection. Comprehensive interventions are needed to address food insecurity in Latinx populations and further studies are needed to better assess independent associations between household food insecurity, poor nutritional health and risk of COVID-19 infection.

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Measuring household food security: the global experience

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/s1415-52732008000700004 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 21 (suppl) ◽

pp. 27s-37s ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Hugo Melgar-Quinonez ◽

Michelle Hackett

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

The United States ◽

Household Food Security ◽

United States Department ◽

Department Of Agriculture ◽

Governmental Agencies ◽

Household Food ◽

Food Security Status ◽

New Research

Measuring household food insecurity represents a challenge due to the complexity and wide array of factors associated with this phenomenon. For over one decade, researchers and agencies throughout the world have been using and assessing the validity of variations of the United States Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Supplemental Module. Thanks to numerous studies of diverse design, size, and purpose, the Household Food Security Supplemental Module has shown its suitability to directly evaluate the perceptions of individuals on their food security status. In addition, challenges and limitations are becoming clearer and new research questions are emerging as the process advances. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, validation procedures, and use of the Household Food Security Supplemental Module in very diverse settings. The most common Household Food Security Supplemental Module related studies have been conducted using criterion validity, Rasch modeling and Cronbach-Alpha Coefficient. It is critical that researchers, policy makers, governmental and non-governmental agencies intensify their efforts to further develop tools that provide valid and reliable measures of food security in diverse population groups. Additional work is needed to synthesize a universally applicable tool able to capture the global human phenomenon of food insecurity.

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Preparing for COVID-19: Household food insecurity and vulnerability to shocks in Nairobi, Kenya

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0259139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. e0259139

Author(s):

Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango ◽

Jonathan Crush ◽

Samuel Owuor

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Multilevel Modelling ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Preparedness Plan ◽

Household Food ◽

New Policies ◽

Social Safety Nets

An understanding of the types of shocks that disrupt and negatively impact urban household food security is of critical importance to develop relevant and targeted food security emergency preparedness policies and responses, a fact magnified by the current COVID-19 pandemic. This gap is addressed by the current study which draws from the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP) city-wide household food insecurity survey of Nairobi city in Kenya. It uses both descriptive statistics and multilevel modelling using General Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) to examine the relationship between household food security and 16 different shocks experienced in the six months prior to the administration of the survey. The findings showed that only 29% of surveyed households were completely food secure. Of those experiencing some level of food insecurity, more experienced economic (55%) than sociopolitical (16%) and biophysical (10%) shocks. Economic shocks such as food price increases, loss of employment, and reduced income were all associated with increased food insecurity. Coupled with the lack of functioning social safety nets in Nairobi, households experiencing shocks and emergencies experience serious food insecurity and related health effects. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a major negative economic impact on many vulnerable urban households. As such, there is need for new policies on urban food emergencies with a clear emergency preparedness plan for responding to major economic and other shocks that target the most vulnerable.

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Association between Household Food Insecurity and Asthma in Korean Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16122115 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. 2115 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Seo-Hee Park ◽

Byung-Jin Park ◽

Dong-Hyuk Jung ◽

Yu-Jin Kwon

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Confidence Intervals ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Asthma Prevalence ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Confounding Factors ◽

Odds Ratios ◽

Korean Adults ◽

Household Food

Household food insecurity has been associated with noncommunicable diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between household food insecurity and asthma in Korean adults. Household food security statuses were classified into three groups: Food-secure household, food-insecure household without hunger, and food-insecure household with hunger. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the presence of asthma according to household food security status were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses after adjusting for confounding factors. A total of 14,770 participants were included in the analysis. The prevalence of asthma was 2.6% in those with a secure food status, 3.2% in those with an insecure food status without hunger, and 7.6% in those with an insecure food status with hunger (p < 0.001). Compared with that in participants with a household food secure status, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for asthma were 1.12 (0.73–1.73) in those with a food-insecure household without hunger status and 2.44 (1.33–4.46) in those with a food-insecure household with hunger status after additionally adjusting for confounding factors. We found that household food insecurity with hunger was significantly associated with asthma prevalence in Korean adults. Implementation of household food security screening and public health intervention could be helpful to prevent and reduce asthma in adults.

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Household food security status and associated factors among high-school students in Esfahan, Iran

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980010000467 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 1609-1613 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Assieh Mohammadzadeh ◽

Ahmadreza Dorosty ◽

Mohammadreza Eshraghian

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

High Energy ◽

Household Food Security ◽

School Students ◽

Household Food ◽

Food Security Status ◽

Food Insecure Households

AbstractObjectiveThe present study was designed to determine household food security status and factors associated with food insecurity among high-school students in Esfahan, Iran.DesignCross-sectional surveys.SettingThe present study was conducted in autumn 2008 in Esfahan, Iran. The samples were selected using systematic cluster sampling. Socio-economic questionnaires, food security questionnaires and FFQ were filled out during face-to-face interviews. In addition, data on participants’ weights and heights were collected.SubjectsA total of 580 students (261 boys and 319 girls) aged 14–17 years from forty high schools in Esfahan, Iran, were selected.ResultsThe prevalence of household food insecurity according to the US Department of Agriculture food security questionnaire was 36·6 % (95 % CI 0·33, 0·40). Food insecurity was positively associated with number of members in the household (P < 0·05) and negatively associated with parental education level and job status and household economic status (P < 0·05). Moreover, students living in food-insecure households more frequently consumed bread, macaroni, potato and egg (P < 0·05), while they less frequently consumed rice, red meat, sausage and hamburger, poultry, fish, green vegetables, root and bulb (coloured) vegetables, melons, apples and oranges, milk and yoghurt (P < 0·05).ConclusionsFood insecurity was prevalent among households in Esfahan, Iran, and food security status was associated with socio-economic factors. Students who belonged to food-secure households more frequently consumed healthy foods (except sausage and hamburger), whereas those living in food-insecure households more frequently consumed cheap foods containing high energy per kilogram. The present study suggests that intervention programmes be designed and carried out.

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Household Food Insecurity and the Association with Cumulative Biological Risk among Lower-Income Adults: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007–2010

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12051517 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1517 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cindy W. Leung ◽

Megan S. Zhou

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Risk Score ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Household Food Insecurity ◽

Biological Risk ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

Household Food

Household food insecurity has been associated with adverse health outcomes; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not well-defined. Using data from 5005 adults from the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), we examined associations between household food insecurity and cumulative biological risk, a measure of the body’s physiological response to chronic stress. Household food security was assessed using the 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module. Marginal food security refers to 1–2 positive responses, and food insecurity refers to ≥3 positive responses. The cumulative biological risk scores were calculated based on the distributions of ten biomarkers from the cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems. Elevated biological risk was defined as a risk score of ≥3. Multivariable regression models were used to examine associations between food security and cumulative biological risk scores, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. After multivariable adjustment, food insecurity was associated with a 0.14-unit higher cumulative biological risk score (95% CI 0.05–0.22, p-trend = 0.003) and higher odds of elevated biological risk (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.05–1.37, p-trend = 0.003). These associations differed by gender. Among women, food insecurity was associated with 0.30-unit higher cumulative biological risk score (95% CI 0.14–0.45, p-trend = 0.0004) and higher odds of elevated biological risk (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.29–2.00, p-trend < 0.0001). These associations were not observed in men. Women experiencing food insecurity demonstrated elevated levels of biological risk. These findings support the hypothesis that food insecurity may be associated with women’s chronic health outcomes through the pathway of chronic stress. Further research is needed to understand why these associations were not observed in men.

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Linking Household Food Security and Food Value Chains in North West Mt. Kenya

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12124999 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 4999

Author(s):

Veronica Mwangi ◽

Samuel Owuor ◽

Boniface Kiteme ◽

Markus Giger ◽

Johanna Jacobi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Value Chain ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Value Chains ◽

North West ◽

Household Food ◽

Food Value

Smallholder farmers and pastoralists produce the largest proportion of food consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. However, they remain among the food insecure populations. This paper explores the food (in)security among smallholder farmers and pastoralists using a sample of 175 households in three agro-food value chains of wheat, dairy, and beef in the north-west Mt. Kenya region. The study seeks to answer if a farmer’s participation in a particular agro-food value chain determines his/her food security situation. We use the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and two Poisson regression models, parsimonious and full, to assess the household food security status and determinants of food security among the smallholder farmers and pastoralists. The results show that 61% of the households were either mildly, moderately, or severely food insecure. Households in the beef value chain experienced relatively higher incidences of food insecurity compared to households in the wheat and dairy value chains. The HFIAS scores revealed a wide gap between households with minimum and maximum score. Household size, income and income-related variables (ability to save and borrow to meet family needs), transport assets, membership in farmers’ associations, and household energy were significant in determining household food security, while access to credit and to extension services was not. Strategies that focus on boosting smallholder farmers’ incomes, building strong and resilient farmers associations to improve inclusive and equitable value chains have the potential to get smallholder farmers out of recurrent food insecurity.

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Is the modified household food security survey (HFSS) questionnaire a practical tool for screening food insecurity? Evidence from northwest of Iran

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-020-09014-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Helda Tutunchi ◽

Mehrangiz Ebrahimi-Mameghani ◽

Mohammad Asghari-Jafarabadi ◽

Nazila Farrin ◽

Sirous Tabrizi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Household Food ◽

Practical Tool ◽

Northwest Of Iran

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Constructive Thinking Inventory: Evidence of Validity among Iranian Managers

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.96.1.115-121 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 96 (1) ◽

pp. 115-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nima Ghorbani ◽

Ahad Framarz Ghramaleki ◽

P. J. Watson

Keyword(s):

Perceived Stress ◽

Big Five ◽

Incremental Validity ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Constructive Thinking ◽

Perceived Stress Scale ◽

Stress Scale ◽

Five Factors ◽

Theoretical Assumptions ◽

Big Five Factors

This study examined the validity and incremental validity of the Constructive Thinking Inventory in a sample of Iranian managers. These 159 men were 39.9 yr. old ( SD = 2.5) and volunteered to participate in a project in which they responded to the Constructive Thinking Inventory, the Big Five Factors, the Costello and Comrey Depression and Anxiety Scales, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Numerous findings confirmed the validity of the Constructive Thinking Inventory, and the Global Constructive Thinking subscale displayed incremental validity. These data supported the validity of the Constructive Thinking Inventory and its associated theoretical assumptions in a sample of Iranian managers.

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