Prevalence of food insecurity during pregnancy in Latin American and the Caribbean countries: A systematic review.

In Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC), women are particularly affected by food insecurity (FI). This gender gap can be amplified at certain key periods in life, particularly during pregnancy, with negative consequences for maternal and infant health. In the current geopolitical and health context, it is essential to take stock of the prevalence of FI among pregnant women in this region, and the associated economic and psychosocial determinants. From 168 publications identified on Pubmed and Scopus, this systematic review selected 13 publications in 7 LAC countries. Although the published data only described the situation before the COVID-19 pandemic (2009-2019), the prevalence of FI in this population was already worrying, ranging from 28.2% to 64.9%. Only 4 out of 13 studies investigated socio-economic and psychosocial determinants among mothers in this region. Thus, the factors most frequently reported concerned mothers' demographic characteristics (advanced age, ethnic minority), household socio-economic characteristics (low income, poorest wealth quartile, precarious housing, welfare recipients), the absence of a stable partner and a low education level. High prevalences of FI have also been associated with mental distress during pregnancy. In conclusion, few recent studies (notably none since the COVID-19 pandemic) have been published in this region on the issue of FI among women during pregnancy. Yet this knowledge is essential to the development of a logical framework for the implementation and evaluation of public health programs aimed at women and children. By reducing the FI of mothers in the LAC region, we will contribute to reducing the social inequalities in health that often manifest themselves very early in life.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest ☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.