AB0657 PERCEIVED STRESS AND FOOD INSECURITY IN PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN WITH RHEUMATIC DISEASES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Authors: L. G. Espinosa Banuelos, P. R. Ancer Rodríguez, M. G. Herrera López, C. M. Skinner Taylor, L. Pérez Barbosa, R. Moyeda Martinez, R. A. Rodriguez Chavez, A. Y. Lujano Negrete, A. Cárdenas, D. Á. Galarza-Delgado
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has directly impacted the psychological and physical health of individuals worldwide, as well as the global economy. Food insecurity rates have risen especially in vulnerable countries like Mexico. Furthermore, social isolation and economic uncertainty have multiplied depression and anxiety disorders. Pregnant and postpartum women are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, increased stress, depression, and anxiety. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the perception of food insecurity (FI) and perceived stress in pregnant and postpartum women with rheumatic disease during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted. Patients from to the pregnancy and rheumatic diseases clinic of the University Hospital “Dr. José E. González” in Northeast Mexico evaluated between August to October 2020 were included. The Spanish validated versions of the Household Food Security Access Scale (HFIAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were applied by telephonic interview. The WHO recommendations were employed to determine the appropriate intake for each food group in a week. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine normality of the data. The Spearman correlation coefficient and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 29 women were included. Six (20.6%) women were found to have moderate or severe degrees of food insecurity. In addition, 12 (40.30%) perceived moderate and severe levels of stress in the PSS-10. No relationship was found between food insecurity and perceived stress (p= 0.059). The food groups that exceeded the recommended weekly frequency were oils and sugars exceeded 3.9 and 2.9 frequencies, respectively. Conclusion: We found that 20.6% women suffered household food insecurity and 40.3% suffered moderate and severe levels of stress. No relationship was found between food insecurity with the HIFAS scale and perceived stress measures with the PSS-10. We found that oils and sugars exceeded more by the double of the recommended frequency per week. References: [1]Pérez-Escamilla R, Cunningham K, Moran VH. COVID-19 and maternal and child food and nutrition insecurity: a complex syndemic. Matern Child Nutr. 2020;16(3):e13036. doi:10.1111/mcn.13036 [2]Adams EL, Caccavale LJ, Smith D, Bean MK. Food Insecurity, the Home Food Environment, and Parent Feeding Practices in the Era of COVID-19. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(11):2056-2063. doi:10.1002/oby.22996 Table 1. Socio-demographic characteristics and scale results. Age, years, mean (SD) 27.5 (7.03) Diagnosis, n (%) RA 16 (55.1) SLE 7 (24.4) Others 6 (20.6) Results per scales HFIAS, n (%) No risk 13 (44.8) Mild 10 (34.4) Moderated 3 (10.3) Severe 3 (10.3) EPP-10, n (%) Mild 17 (58.6) Moderated 9 (31.0) Severe 3 (10.3) SD: standard deviation, RA: Rheumatoid arthritis, SLE: Systemic lupus erythematosus, HFIAS: Household food security access component scale, EPP-10: Perceived stress scale 10 items. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.