Small for gestational age and lower birthweight risks are increased by residence in neighborhoods with lower incomes and limited food access during pregnancy, according to a recent study from the NIH Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.
Takeaways
- Low-income areas with limited food access correlate with higher risks of adverse birth outcomes.
- Over 22,000 participants were studied, revealing links between neighborhood characteristics and newborn health.
- Living far from grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods, especially in rural areas, poses significant risks.
- While individual food insecurity isn't directly linked to birth outcomes, neighborhood conditions play a crucial role.
- Further studies are needed to explore interventions for improving food access during pregnancy and enhancing birth outcomes.
An association has been identified between diet during pregnancy and maternal physical and mental health, but data about the impact of food insecurity during pregnancy and newborn outcomes remains limited. ECHO researchers conducted a study to evaluate the association between residence during pregnancy, food access, and birth outcomes.
Over 22,000 ECHO participants were included in the analysis. The US Food Access Research Atlas was assessed to match pregnant participants’ home address to nearby food availability data. The US Food Access Research Atlas includes data about household vehicle availability, household income, and neighborhood food access.
Results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Residence in a low-income neighborhood where at least 1/3 residents lived over 1 mile from a grocery store, or more than 10 miles in a rural area, was reported by 24% of participants.
Residence in neighborhoods with high poverty rates where over 100 households lived over half a mile from a grocery store with no access to a vehicle was reported by 14% of participants.
Individual food insecurity was not linked to birth outcomes. However, an association was found between residing in a low-income, low-food-access and low-income, or low-vehicle-access neighborhood and increased risks of lower birth weight and small for gestational age, as well as lower odds of large for gestational age.
According to Izzuddin M. Aris, PhD, head of a team of ECHO cohort researchers who worked on data analysis and writing for the study, future studies should evaluate health habits and chemical exposures that may impact birth outcomes.
“Given the long-term effects of adverse birth outcomes on later cardiovascular disease risk and other conditions, more research is needed to evaluate whether interventions and policies that improve food access during pregnancy would be effective in improving birth outcomes and promoting child health,” Aris said.
Reference
Link found between neighborhood poverty, food access, and birth outcomes. News Medical Life Sciences. March 22, 2024. Accessed March 26, 2024. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240322/Link-found-between-neighborhood-poverty-food-access-and-birth-outcomes.aspx#:~:text=Living%20in%20neighborhoods%20where%20residents,Health%20Outcomes%20(ECHO)%20Program
