Impact of Household Food Security on Maternal Nutritional Profile

The present study was carried out to get an insight into the household food security status and to assess the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women in coastal households in terms of anthropometry, biochemical, clinical parameters and nutrient intake. Also, analysis of the relationship between household food security with health and nutrition related indices of mothers was carried out. Food security core module (USDA, 2000) was used to classify households into different categories. Pregnancy weight gain was insufficient for one third of subjects. Anemia was found in 20 % of women. Mean nutrient intake of pregnant mothers were significantly lower than RDA. Only 42 %of families were food secure. On assessing the interrelation between BMI of lactating women and household food security levels, it was found that most of the women who were underweight were from food insecure households.