Food Insecurity and Pregnancy

In this study by Sparling et al. (2020), the authors aimed to quantitatively evaluate the links between indicators of food availability, nutrition, and a positive depression screening in a population of Bangladeshi rural women of reproductive age. Using cross-sectional data on 2,599 women from the Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM), the authors investigated the links between depression in non-peripartum (NPW) and peripartum women (PW) in the context of food security. The results revealed that out of the selected study participants, 20% had a positive screening for major depressive disorder, 40% were either pregnant or up to 1 year postpartum, while 60% were not postpartum. Depression was explained via analysis revealing food and nutrition security to be the underlying reason. Food insecurity (HFIAS), poor household food consumption (FCS) and poor dietary diversity (< 5 groups) increased the likelihood of suffering from depression by more than or equal to two folds. On the other hand, a diet composed of dairy, eggs, fish, vitamin A, and vitamin C-rich foods was linked to a lower likelihood of suffering from depression. Finally, an association was discovered between a low BMI and depressive disorder (<18·5 kg/m2). In conclusion, the authors comment that depression among women was related to several aspects of food and nutrition availability, even after controlling for socio-economic factors. Additional research is necessary to understand the drivers behind food and nutrition security-related depression, to identify potential interventions and ways to improve the diets and alleviate depression in women living in low- and middle-income countries.