title: The relationship between food insecurity and obesity in rural childbearing women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While food insecurity and obesity have been shown to be positively associated in women, little is known about the direction of the causal relationship between these 2 constructs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the direction of the causal relationship between food insecurity and obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chi-square and logistic regression analysis of data from a cohort of 622 healthy childbearing women living in a 10-county rural area of upstate New York and followed from early pregnancy until 2 years postpartum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obesity in early pregnancy was associated with increased risk of food insecurity at 2 years postpartum. Initial food insecurity was not associated with increased risk of obesity at 2 years postpartum. Women who were both obese and food insecure in early pregnancy were at greatest risk of major weight gain over the pregnancy and postpartum period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity appears to lead to food insecurity rather than the converse. Obesity combined with food insecurity present the greatest risk for major weight gain in this sample of childbearing women.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853, USA. cmo3@cornell.edu
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Myla S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Strawderman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population