Abstract
Background. Household food insecurity is considered a serious public health issue worldwide. Pregnancy represents a critical period in a woman's life. Undesirable nutrition can adversely affect maternal, fetal, and infant health. However, evidence on the association between food insecurity and pregnancy outcomes remains inconsistent. Therefore, this study was conducted to review and discuss related studies in this field.
Methods. In this narrative review, a search was conducted in multiple databases, including PubMed, SID, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The search was conducted using a combination of keywords related to food security and pregnancy.
Results. Overall, the evidence suggests that food insecurity is associated with an increased risk of several pregnancy outcomes, especially preterm birth, while evidence for low birth weight, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, anemia, and gestational weight gain remains inconsistent. These inconsistencies are largely attributable to methodological heterogeneity across studies.
Conclusion. The results of studies on the relationship between food insecurity and pregnancy outcomes are controversial. Therefore, regarding many inconsistencies in this field, additional studies, particularly cohort studies, are required to yield stronger and more precise evidence.
Practical Implications. The findings of this review highlight the importance of integrating food insecurity screening into prenatal care, particularly for women in vulnerable socioeconomic circumstances. Given the evidence linking food insecurity to preterm birth and maternal mental health disorders, it is essential to assess the adequacy of dietary intake and the mental health status of pregnant women, alongside routine maternal-fetal care. However, due to heterogeneity and inconsistencies in the evidence regarding certain pregnancy outcomes, it is necessary to implement targeted interventions and evaluate their effectiveness in future studies.