Food insecurity and health in the first 1,001 days

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Food insecurity (FI) is a complex social issue affecting the most vulnerable in our population. It is when an individual struggles to afford or access enough food. In the UK, 1 in 4 UK households with children are affected, and almost 1 in 2 if households are affected if they have 3 or more children or individuals from minoritised ethnic groups or individuals with disabilities. This means they have skipped meals, have not eaten when hungry, or have not eaten for one full day. FI can affect the type and amount of food they eat, and their physical and mental health. FI is expected to increase in the UK due to the current cost-of-living crisis. Experiences of FI may be unevenly distributed within households, with women more affected than men. Women tend to be food managers, carry the mental health burden from juggling food budgets to access sufficient healthy food, and often skip food to ensure others in their household are fed. This is a concern as women have complex nutritional requirements due to their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. During pregnancy, the food women eat is important for both their own and their baby's health. For example, some vitamins and minerals are essential for the baby's development. However, research from the USA shows these needs are rarely met when women are FI, which increases the risks to the pregnant woman (such as developing depression) and to the baby (such as being born too early). Thus, FI can have lifelong effects for the health of women and their children. It also increases the costs to maternity services, wider health services, and society. Currently, little is known about FI during and after pregnancy in the UK. Research on FI does not include the experiences of pregnant women or women who have recently had a baby, despite recognition that giving every child the best start in life is crucial to reducing health inequalities. This fellowship aims to explore FI and health of women during and after pregnancy, specifically in the first 1,001 days of life. The fellowship will include the following objectives:(1) To undertake a placement with Lambeth Council to strengthen knowledge-exchange between researchers and policymakers, help me access FI women and increase the impact of this fellowship.(2) To contribute to the limited evidence on FI by publishing three papers from my doctoral research. (3) To conduct a study to explore women's experience of FI before and during pregnancy. (4) To run creative workshops with a group of multi-ethnic FI women to co-produce a zine or comic portraying their everyday experiences of FI to share with key stakeholders. (5) To attend and present my doctoral and fellowship research at national conferences in addition to attending training courses to build my scientific research skills.(6) To develop a larger programme of work which will identify FI in women during and after pregnancy and create a pathway to support women and mitigate the impact of FI.This fellowship will allow me to conduct a new piece of research on FI in women during and after pregnancy while allowing me to develop build on my research skills to help me become a future leader in women's health.