Food insecurity and breastfeeding

Association of Food Security With Breastfeeding Practices: A Scoping Review

Breastfeeding is the fundamental, physiological, and psychosocial process by which the mother feeds the newborn. Early initiation of breastfeeding is recommended within the first hour of life and exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of age due to its optimal contribution of nutrients for the development of the newborn. Despite this, there are factors that affect this process which involve the nutritional, physical, and psychological state of the mother, such as food security or food insecurity, however, it is unknown if it will have a decisive impact on these factors concerning the cessation of breastfeeding or total duration of breastfeeding. This study is an in-depth review of the available information related to food security as a determinant in breastfeeding practices. We did a scoping review between December 2022 - January 2023. The principal inclusion criteria were: the use of the English language, qualitative and quantitative methods, and analytical studies. All the articles were available in full text and the manuscripts ranged from 1997 and 2022. Twelve studies were included: eight quantitative, two qualitative, and two mixed. In the quantitative studies, significant positive and negative associations were found between food insecurity, exclusive breastfeeding, early initiation of breastfeeding, cessation of breastfeeding, and total duration of breastfeeding. For their part, qualitative and mixed studies describe that women with severe food insecurity tend to feel weak and may have a poor perception of their diet and, consequently, their breastfeeding practices are lower. Moreover, there are qualitative studies that mention that the higher the food insecurity, the more frequently breastfeeding occurs. The inconsistency in the results may be due to factors involving the characteristics of each population, the instrument used to measure food security, and the variables by which the models were adjusted. It is necessary to carry out more studies on the subject since it is obvious that the relationship between the variables needs to be clarified.

What qualitative research can tell us about food and nutrition security in the UK and why we should pay attention to what it is telling us

Poor dietary patterns leading to poorer health and increased health care use have affected people living in disadvantaged economic circumstances in the UK for decades, which many fear will be exacerbated due to the UK's current so-called 'cost of living crisis'. The voices of experts by experience of those health and social inequalities are not routinely included in health improvement intervention development in relation to obesity prevention policy and programmes. Obesity is highly correlated with food insecurity experience in high-income country contexts (where food insecurity data are routinely collected) and is similarly socially patterned. Using a health equity lens, this review paper highlights qualitative research findings that have revealed the perspectives and direct experiences of people living with food insecurity, or those others supporting food-insecure households, that shed light on the role and influence of the socio-economic contextual factors food-insecure people live with day-to-day. Insights from qualitative research that have focused on the granular detail of day-to-day household resource management can help us understand not only how food insecurity differentially impacts individual household members, but also how behavioural responses/food coping strategies are playing into pathways that lead to avoidable ill health such as obesity, diabetes and other chronic health conditions, including mental health problems. This review paper concludes by discussing research and policy implications in relation to food-insecure households containing people with chronic health conditions, and for pregnant women and families with infants and very young children living in the UK today.

Lockdown-Associated Hunger May Be Affecting Breastfeeding: Findings from a Large SMS Survey in South Africa

The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, on food security and child health is especially concerning. A rapid, Short Message Service (SMS) Maternal and Child Health survey was conducted in South Africa in June 2020 (n = 3140), with a follow-up in July 2020 (n = 2287). This was a national cross-sectional survey conducted among pregnant women and mothers registered with the MomConnect mhealth platform. Logistic regression was conducted to explore the associations between breastfeeding, maternal depressive symptoms, and hunger in the household. High breastfeeding initiation rates and the early introduction of other foods or mixed milk feeding were found. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in this survey sample was 26.95%, but there was no association between breastfeeding behaviour and depressive symptom scores (OR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.63, 1.27). A positive correlation was found between not breastfeeding and not going to the health clinic. The odds of hungry mothers breastfeeding were significantly lower (OR = 0.66; p = 0.045). This result also holds in a multivariate framework, including covariates such as depressive symptoms, attendance of a PHC facility, and whether the infant was older than 3 months. Support for breastfeeding must include support, such as economic support, for breastfeeding mothers, to enable them to access nutritious diets. Mothers also need reassurance on the quality of their breastmilk and their ability to breastfeed and should be encouraged to continue to attend the health clinic regularly.

Food insecurity and the nutritional health and well-being of women and children in high-income countries: protocol for a qualitative systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Since the global financial crises of 2008, there has been a rise in the number of people experiencing food insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this. Many more are unable to afford or access food of sufficient quality and quantity to enable good health and well-being. Particularly vulnerable are mothers with young children, pregnant women and lone parents (the majority of whom are women). This review aims to understand experiences of food insecurity and how it affects women and children's nutritional health and well-being, focusing on experiences explicitly related to nutrition. Findings will help guide health policy and practice to support food-insecure women and children from high-income countries.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A systematic review and meta-ethnography exploring (1) food-insecure women's own accounts of their nutritional health and (2) food-insecure household's accounts of their children's nutritional health. Six major databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL and ASSIA), grey literature databases and relevant stakeholder websites will be searched from 1 January 2008 to 30 March 2021. Reference list and citation searches will supplement electronic database searches. Outcomes of interest are accounts of nutrition and nutritional health, including diet, food practices, infant feeding practices and physical and mental health. The review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol guidelines, but as this is a meta-ethnography it will adhere to eMERGe Reporting Guidance for synthesis and writing findings of the final report. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist will assess the quality of studies. A meta-ethnographic analysis will be conducted for all included studies.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

As a qualitative systematic review, without primary data collection, ethical approval will not be required. Findings will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42020214159.

Breastfeeding experiences among mothers living with food insecurity in high resource, Western countries: a qualitative systematic review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this review are to identify, appraise, and synthesize the qualitative evidence on the breastfeeding experiences of mothers living with food insecurity in high-resource, Western countries.

INTRODUCTION

Breastfeeding and food insecurity are inter-related health issues. Globally, breastfeeding augments food security at individual, household, and community levels, but a growing body of evidence from high-resourced countries also suggests that a mother's breastfeeding practice may be negatively impacted by the additional experience of food insecurity. This protocol outlines a systematic approach to understanding the experiences of breastfeeding from the perspective of mothers living with food insecurity. Findings will provide much-needed evidence toward guiding policies and practices that support mothers to breastfeed.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

The review will consider studies that explore the breastfeeding experiences of mothers aged 18 years and older who self-identify, or are classified using a screening tool, as food insecure. Papers that will be included in this review will consider all qualitative methodologies and will be limited to studies from countries identified as being within the United Nations classification of Western European and Other States Group (WEOG).

METHODS

The authors will conduct a three-step search process across both published and gray literature to identify relevant studies for inclusion. A preliminary search using the PubMed database was undertaken in January 2020. Studies published in English from 1981 to 2020 will be included. The recommended JBI methodology for qualitative systematic review for study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be followed.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42020183652.