Chapter 4: Ensure a healthy standard of living for all

The type and amount of food women eat during pregnancy is important for both their own and their baby's health. Certain vitamins and minerals are critical for the baby's development during this time. 

However, food insecurity limits the range of food choices a mother has and her ability to access enough of these nutrients. 

Research from North America shows that food insecurity increases health risks to pregnant women and their baby.
(Ivers LC, Cullen KA (2011). Food insecurity: special considerations for women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 94;6. 1740-1744.)

For example, food insecure pregnant women are more likely to develop poor mental health and gestational diabetes, whilst their baby has a higher risk of being born too early.
(Dolatian M, Sharifi N, Mahmoodi Z (2018). Relationship of socioeconomic status, psychosocial factors, and food insecurity with pre term labour: A longitudinal study. International journal of reproductive biomedicine, 16, p.563-570)

As chapter 1 explores, pregnancy has life-long consequences for the health of women and their children, contributing to health inequalities from the start of life. In the UK, there are gaps in our knowledge about food insecurity during pregnancy. We lack data showing how many pregnant women are food insecure, what it does to pregnant women's diet and health, what it does to the health of their baby, what pregnant women's experiences are and what support might help them the most. It's important that we work together to understand the impact this is having for our families in Gateshead.