(P17-054-23) Food Insecurity Among Pregnant Adolescents and Adolescent Mothers in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: Food insecurity remains a major public health problem globally. The literature on food insecurity has largely focused on the adult population, with little or no information about experiences of food insecurity among the adolescent population. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of food insecurity among pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers in Ghana.

Methods: The Healthy Adolescent Nutrition in Ghana (HANIG) study was conducted in and around Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. As part of this community-based cross sectional study, 420 adolescents aged 12-19 years old, pregnant (n=214) or with a child aged 5 years or less (n=206) were recruited from communities and health centers within the study area. Food insecurity information was collected using the 10-item Childhood Food Insecurity Experience Scale (CFIES), which measures experiences with food over the past month. Scores on each item was summed up to give a total score ranging from 0-20, with a higher score indicating more experiences with food insecurity. Participants were classified as having no food insecurity experiences (score of 0), few experiences (score 1-6), several experiences (score 7-10) and many experiences (score 11-20). Socio-demographic and anthropometric data were also collected for descriptive analysis.

Results: On Average, participants were aged 17.8±1.24, had a BMI of 22.3±3.5 kg/m², and only 24.05% of participants were enrolled in school at the time of the study. Of the participants, 87.3% reported some experience with food insecurity in the month preceding the interview [90% in mothers and 84% in pregnant adolescents]: Overall, only a small proportion of the population had no (12.4%) or few experiences with food insecurity (12%). A greater proportion of adolescents had several experiences (23.4%) or many experiences (42.8%) with food insecurity.

Conclusions: Food insecurity is highly prevalent among pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers in Ghana. Interventions to increase food security among this population are needed, considering not only the potentially negative impacts on diet quality and nutrient intake, but also the increasing rates of teenage pregnancy in the country.

Funding Sources: Oklahoma State University