Characteristics of Pica Behavior among Mothers around Lake Victoria, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study

Esther O. Chung, Brian Mattah, Matthew D. Hickey, Charles R. Salmen, Erin M. Milner, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Justin S. Brashares, Sera L. Young, Lia C.H. Fernald and Kathryn J. Fiorella
Additional contact information
Esther O. Chung: Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, USA
Brian Mattah: Ekialo Kiona Research Dept, Organic Health Response, Mbita, P.O. Box 224-40305, Kenya
Matthew D. Hickey: Division of HIV, Infectious Disease, and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSF, 1001 Potrero Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
Charles R. Salmen: Ekialo Kiona Research Dept, Organic Health Response, Mbita, P.O. Box 224-40305, Kenya
Erin M. Milner: Bureau for Global Health, USAID, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Elizabeth A. Bukusi: Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Hospital Road, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Justin S. Brashares: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall #3114, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Sera L. Young: Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Lia C.H. Fernald: Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA
Kathryn J. Fiorella: Master of Public Health Program, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, S2-004 Shurman Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: Background : Pica, the craving and purposeful consumption of nonfoods, is poorly understood. We described the prevalence of pica among women on Mfangano Island, Kenya, and examined sociodemographic and health correlates. Methods : Our cross-sectional study included 299 pregnant or postpartum women in 2012. We used a 24-h recall to assess pica, defined as consumption of earth (geophagy), charcoal/ash, or raw starches (amylophagy) and built multivariable logistic regression models to examine sociodemographic and health correlates of pica. Results : Eighty-one women (27.1%) engaged in pica in the previous 24 h, with 59.3% reporting amylophagy and 56.8% reporting geophagy, charcoal, and/or ash consumption. The most common substances consumed were raw cassava ( n = 30, 36.6%), odowa, a chalky, soft rock-like earth ( n = 21, 25.6%), and soil ( n = 17, 20.7%). Geophagy, charcoal, and/or ash consumption was negatively associated with breastfeeding (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18–0.81), and amylophagy was associated with pregnancy (OR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.24–14.96). Pica was more common within one of six study regions (OR = 3.64, 95% CI: 1.39–9.51). We found no evidence of an association between food insecurity and pica. Conclusion : Pica was a common behavior among women, and the prevalence underscores the need to uncover its dietary, environmental, and cultural etiologies.

Keywords: pica; geophagy; amylophagy; pregnancy; breastfeeding; Kenya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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