Célia Basurko

The post-COVID international situation, wars and food price inflation are hampering access to food for the most vulnerable households who have no safety net against unforeseen events. While pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to food shortages and nutritional imbalances, data on food insecurity during pregnancy and associated risk factors are scarce. A 2023 multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of 730 women during the third trimester of pregnancy in French Guiana. Food insecurity (USDA Food Security Survey Module), diet quality indicators derived from a qualitative 24-h recall (Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women MDD-W, All-5 indicator, NCD risk foods), pre-conceptional nutritional status (body mass index – BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG), and women’s self-esteem were collected. Data were weighted to ensure sample representativeness, and modified Poisson regression was used to identify risk factors for FI during pregnancy. Overall, 32.3% [95% CI: 28.8–35.9] of the women lived in a food-insecure household during pregnancy and only 45.6% [95% CI: 42.0–49.2] of the women had reached the MDD-W set at 5 food groups. More than 80% of the women had consumed sweetened beverages and 25.1% were obese before conception. According to the multivariate model, the factors positively associated with food insecurity included living in substandard housing, living alone with children, having low self-esteem and being born abroad (with or without a residence permit). On the other hand, having a stable and declared income and social support were protective factors against food insecurity after adjusting for the other variables. This study highlights a frequently overlooked situation in French Guiana that is likely to affect the health of children at the very beginning of their lives. Peer-based programs or government financial assistance programs could help strengthen the ability of the poorest households with pregnant women to cope with food insecurity.

During the Chikungunya epidemic in the Caribbean and Latin America, pregnant women were affected by the virus in French Guiana. The question of the impact of the virus on pregnancy was raised because of the lack of scientific consensus and published data in the region. Thus, during the Chikungunya outbreak in French Guiana, a comparative study was set up using a cohort of pregnant women. The objective was to compare pregnancy and neonatal outcomes between pregnant women with Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection and pregnant women without CHIKV. Of 653 mothers included in the cohort, 246 mothers were included in the case-control study: 73 had CHIKV fever during pregnancy and 173 had neither fever nor CHIKV during pregnancy. The study did not observe any severe clinical presentation of CHIKV in the participating women. There were no intensive care unit admissions. In addition, the study showed no significant difference between the two groups with regard to pregnancy complications. However, the results showed a potential excess risk of neonatal ICU admission of the newborn when the maternal infection occurred within 7 days before delivery. These results suggest that special attention should be paid to neonates whose mothers were infected with CHIKV shortly before delivery.