Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition: data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) pilot survey in urban Soweto, South Africa
Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition: data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) pilot survey in urban Soweto, South Africa
Objective: To determine whether food security, diet diversity and diet quality are associated with anthropometric measurements and body composition among women of reproductive age. The association between food security and anaemia prevalence was also tested. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) study. Food security and dietary data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Hb levels were measured using a HemoCue, and anaemia was classified as an altitude-adjusted haemoglobin level < 12·5 g/dl. Body size and composition were assessed using anthropometry and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Setting: The urban township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants: Non-pregnant women aged 18-25 years (n 1534). Results: Almost half of the women were overweight or obese (44 %), and 9 % were underweight. Almost a third of women were anaemic (30 %). The prevalence rates of anaemia and food insecurity were similar across BMI categories. Food insecure women had the least diverse diets, and food security was negatively associated with diet quality (food security category v. diet quality score: B = -0·35, 95 % CI -0·70, -0·01, P = 0·049). Significant univariate associations were observed between food security and total lean mass. However, there were no associations between food security and body size or composition variables in multivariate models. Conclusions: Our data indicate that food security is an important determinant of diet quality in this urban-poor, highly transitioned setting. Interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition should recognise both food security and the food environment as critical elements within their developmental phases.
Body composition, Body size, Diet diversity, Diet quality, Food security
1629-1637
Kehoe, Sarah H.
534e5729-632b-4b4f-8401-164d8c20aa26
Wrottesley, Stephanie V.
9c93c674-7f64-413d-b05e-f1c5db19c31a
Ware, Lisa
a56cf9e3-a3af-4df0-9b1f-4782aeda1384
Prioreschi, Alessandra
04875305-6e91-4199-98bb-8154707060c4
Draper, Catherine E.
5032d1f5-0c2a-44be-8bdb-6e4967d49e14
Ward, Kate
39bd4db1-c948-4e32-930e-7bec8deb54c7
Lye, Stephen
7bd9fd30-9358-42fb-a3f3-96de294d1dca
Norris, Shane A.
1d346f1b-6d5f-4bca-ac87-7589851b75a4
May 2021
Kehoe, Sarah H.
534e5729-632b-4b4f-8401-164d8c20aa26
Wrottesley, Stephanie V.
9c93c674-7f64-413d-b05e-f1c5db19c31a
Ware, Lisa
a56cf9e3-a3af-4df0-9b1f-4782aeda1384
Prioreschi, Alessandra
04875305-6e91-4199-98bb-8154707060c4
Draper, Catherine E.
5032d1f5-0c2a-44be-8bdb-6e4967d49e14
Ward, Kate
39bd4db1-c948-4e32-930e-7bec8deb54c7
Lye, Stephen
7bd9fd30-9358-42fb-a3f3-96de294d1dca
Norris, Shane A.
1d346f1b-6d5f-4bca-ac87-7589851b75a4
Kehoe, Sarah H., Wrottesley, Stephanie V., Ware, Lisa, Prioreschi, Alessandra, Draper, Catherine E., Ward, Kate, Lye, Stephen and Norris, Shane A.
(2021)
Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition: data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) pilot survey in urban Soweto, South Africa.
Public Health Nutrition, 24 (7), .
(doi:10.1017/S136898002100046X).
Abstract
Objective: To determine whether food security, diet diversity and diet quality are associated with anthropometric measurements and body composition among women of reproductive age. The association between food security and anaemia prevalence was also tested. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) study. Food security and dietary data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Hb levels were measured using a HemoCue, and anaemia was classified as an altitude-adjusted haemoglobin level < 12·5 g/dl. Body size and composition were assessed using anthropometry and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Setting: The urban township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants: Non-pregnant women aged 18-25 years (n 1534). Results: Almost half of the women were overweight or obese (44 %), and 9 % were underweight. Almost a third of women were anaemic (30 %). The prevalence rates of anaemia and food insecurity were similar across BMI categories. Food insecure women had the least diverse diets, and food security was negatively associated with diet quality (food security category v. diet quality score: B = -0·35, 95 % CI -0·70, -0·01, P = 0·049). Significant univariate associations were observed between food security and total lean mass. However, there were no associations between food security and body size or composition variables in multivariate models. Conclusions: Our data indicate that food security is an important determinant of diet quality in this urban-poor, highly transitioned setting. Interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition should recognise both food security and the food environment as critical elements within their developmental phases.
Text
Kehoe Wrottesley INPreP WP5 manuscript FINAL submitted to PHN
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 27 January 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 February 2021
Published date: May 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the participants for their time and interest in the study. We also thank the project staff and the Improved Nutrition Pre-conception, Pregnancy and Post-Delivery (INPreP) collaboration for its support. Financial support: This study was funded by South African Medical Research Council and Canadian Institute for Health Research. This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (17\63\154) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The funding agencies were not involved in the study design, data analysis or writing of this article. Conflict of interest: None. Authorship: S.A.N. and S.L. designed the study. S.A.N., S.L., A.P., L.W. and C.D. developed the research methods and implemented the study. S.H.K. and S.V.W. analysed the data and all co-authors assisted in the analysis plan and/or interpretation of the findings. S.H.K. and S.V.W. wrote the manuscript which has been reviewed and approved by all co-authors. Ethics of human subject participation: This study was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, and all research involving study participants was approved by the University of the Witwatersrand’s Research Ethics Committee (Medical; approval number M1811111). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Body composition, Body size, Diet diversity, Diet quality, Food security
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 448990
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/448990
ISSN: 1368-9800
PURE UUID: c27bb5a2-17f8-4048-98be-c12b89433019
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 12 May 2021 16:49
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:57
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Stephanie V. Wrottesley
Author:
Lisa Ware
Author:
Alessandra Prioreschi
Author:
Catherine E. Draper
Author:
Stephen Lye
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
