Geophagy among a Cohort of Kenyan Women with Mixed HIV Status: A Longitudinal Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Geophagy, the craving and purposive consumption of earth, is commonly reported during pregnancy. To date, most studies of geophagy have been cross-sectional and have not assessed its relationship with HIV infection. Therefore, to concurrently examine proposed etiologies of geophagy, a cohort of 371 women with mixed HIV status from Nyanza region, Kenya were recruited in late pregnancy and interviewed about pica at nine time points, through 21 months postpartum. Nutritional status (hemoglobin concentration and food insecurity), physical health (HIV infection and gastrointestinal distress), and psychosocial health (depression and perceived stress) were also repeatedly assessed. Prevalence of geophagy was greatest during pregnancy and decreased significantly postpartum. In a two-level hierarch

SUBMITTER: Miller JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6726927 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature