Early participation in prenatal food supplementation program ameliorates the negative association of food insecurity with quality of maternal-infant interaction
Food insecurity is detrimental to child development, yet little is known about the combined influence of food insecurity and nutritional...
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Food insecurity is detrimental to child development, yet little is known about the combined influence of food insecurity and nutritional interventions on child development in low-income countries. We proposed that women assigned to an early invitation time to start a prenatal food supplementation program could reduce the negative influence of food insecurity on maternal-infant interaction. A cohort of 180 mother-infant dyads were sampled (born between May and October 2003) from among 3267 in the randomized controlled trial, Maternal Infant Nutritional Interventions Matlab, conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh. At 8 wk gestation, women were randomly assigned an invitation time to start receiving food supplements (2.5 MJ/d; 6 d/wk) either early (~9 wk gestation; early-invitation group) or at the usual-start time for the government program (~20 wk gestation; usual-invitation group). Maternal-infant interaction was observed in homes using the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training Feeding Scale, and food insecurity was obtained from questionnaires completed when infants were 3.4-4.0 mo old. Using a general linear model for maternal-infant interaction, we found a significant interaction (P = 0.012) between invitation time to start a prenatal food supplementation program and food insecurity. Those in the usual-invitation group with higher food insecurity scores (i.e., more food-insecure) had lower quality of maternal-infant interaction, but this relationship was ameliorated among those in the early-invitation group. Food insecurity limits the ability of mothers and infants to interact well, but an early invitation time to start a prenatal food supplementation program can support mother-infant interaction among the food-insecure.