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Household Food Insecurity is Positively Associated with Perceived Discrimination among Cambodian Pregnant Women in Massachusetts
Author(s) -
Chen Shanshan,
Peterman JN,
Mouth Ronnie,
Cordeiro Lorraine
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.1054.18
Subject(s) - food insecurity , acculturation , ethnic group , logistic regression , environmental health , food security , demography , medicine , geography , political science , archaeology , sociology , law , agriculture
Food insecurity is a growing concern in the US. For pregnant women, food insecurity may increase the risk of maternal morbidity and impair the growth and development of fetus. Discrimination is an important determinant of health inequalities. This cross‐sectional study investigated the associations between food insecurity and perceived discrimination among a group of pregnant Cambodian women (n=75) in Massachusetts. Demographics, acculturation, discrimination, and food security data were collected. The association between food insecurity and perceived discrimination were tested using logistic regression, adjusted for age, education, country of birth, and acculturation. The prevalence of household food insecurity was 48%. 54.5% of the participants reported discrimination due to ethnicity, skin color, and language. Higher rate of perceived discrimination was associated with higher risk of household food insecurity (OR=2.13, p<0.05). These findings suggest that perceived discrimination may constitute a significant risk factor for household food insecurity among Cambodian pregnant women in Massachusetts. Longitudinal studies examining these associations as well as identification of the underlying causes of the discrimination are needed.