'Food insecurity' in pregnancy brings higher risk of depression, obesity and diabetes for mum and baby
Amid the cost-of-living crisis, new research has shown how being unable to afford healthy food during pregnancy can have shocking implications for both mother and baby throughout their lives. Poor mental health, diabetes and obesity are among the stark consequences faced by budding families hit hard by food insecurity, experts at Newcastle University have found.
In a region where more than one third of children are growing up in poverty and where those children can expect to live shorter, less healthy lives than their peers in more affluent areas, the research makes worrying reading. The shocking research has been published in two journals - PLOS Medicine and Obesity Reviews.
Prof Nicola Heslehurst, professor of maternal and child nutrition at the university, told ChronicleLive how worrying the impact was - and how it adds to the "burden of disease" which leads to health inequality, especially in the most deprived areas. She said: "The level of food insecurity that is just increasing and increasing around the country.
"We don't know how many pregnant women are experiencing this, but we do know that more than a quarter of households are, so we can expect this to be a problem in pregnancy too. We know that nutrition is really important for both mother and baby during pregnancy.
"This can be in relation to maternal mental health, for example. Experiencing depression, stress and anxiety during pregnancy is not good for mum or baby, and those experiencing food insecurity are up to four times more likely to have poor mental health.
"Maternal mental health is such a huge issue, not least because suicide is a leading cause of death in and around pregnancy and it has been increasing over time."
The research shows how women who are “food insecure” are up to four times more likely to have poor mental health - such as stress, anxiety and depression - than those who don’t struggle to afford or access food. The professor added that, beyond mental health, key impacts of poor nutrition were on conditions like diabetes and obesity. Dental problems are also more likely.
Prof Heslehurst added: “We know how important it is for pregnant women to eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet for their own health and that of their developing baby. But when pregnant women experience food insecurity, it affects the quality of their diet because they can’t afford increasingly expensive items such as fruit and vegetables, therefore, have to rely on cheaper poor nutritional quality foods
"While we were expecting to see some health risks during pregnancy, the extent of those we found were quite shocking, especially for mental health, obesity, and pregnancy diabetes. These also have long-term implications, such as mums and their children being more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life."
The studies also involved Teesside University and King’s College London and experts collated data from high income countries since the 2008 financial crisis in order to look for patterns and where there may be increased risk and need for support. Prof Heslehurst said the use of food banks was "not going to address the underlying social and economic problems" the research exposes. She said: "We need much more financial support from the Government to make sure that women and babies are protected from food insecurity during pregnancy."
She added: "One recommendation that seems like a quick win would be around the Healthy Start Scheme which provides vouchers for food and infant formula. There's a really low uptake of that scheme and then the value of those vouchers also has not been increased in line with inflation."
The research team also included Dr Gina Nguyen, Dr Stephanie Scott and Letitia Sermin-Reed and was produced by the Fuse research institute which works collaboratively across North East. This comes following last week's publication of the Woman of the North report - which saw some of the same academics contribute, and which highlighted how women in our region were being "failed" - and living poorer lives.
Earlier this week the Government was also urged by a range of health organisations, including the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health, to bring in Free School Meals for all primary-age pupils in order to address child poverty and malnutrition. In response, a Government spokesperson said it had a "a clear mission to break down barriers to opportunity and confront child poverty".
They added: "As part of this, one of our first priorities is on delivering free breakfast clubs in every primary school to make sure children start the day with a full stomach and ready to learn. We have launched a child poverty taskforce co-chaired by the Education Secretary and Work and Pensions Secretary, looking at longer-term actions to increase household income, bring down essential costs, and tackle the challenges felt by those living in poverty.
“This Government recognises that prevention will always be better and cheaper than a cure and we are determined to tackle the levels of childhood obesity head on, easing the strain on our NHS and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.”