Partners In Health, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Dec;94(6):1740S-1744S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.012617. Epub 2011 Nov 16.
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity is the converse state, is often associated with poverty and low income, and has important implications for the health and nutrition of individuals. Given their contribution to food production and preparation, their role in society as child bearers and caregivers, the increasing number of female-headed households worldwide, and their disproportionately poor economic status, women need special consideration in discussions of food insecurity and its effect on health, nutrition, and behavior. This article reviews the scientific literature on issues related to women and food insecurity. Food insecurity is associated with obesity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms; risky sexual behavior; poor coping strategies; and negative pregnancy outcomes in women, although evidence about the direction and causality of associations is unclear. There is a lack of evidence and understanding of the effects of food insecurity in resource-poor settings, including its effect on weight, nutritional outcomes, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as its effect on progression of diseases such as HIV infection. More research is needed to guide efficient interventions that address food insecurity among women. However, practical experience suggests that both short-term assistance and longer-term strategies that improve livelihoods, address behavioral and coping strategies, acknowledge the mental health components of food insecurity, and attempt to ensure that women have the same economic opportunities, access to land, and economic power as men are important.
当所有人在任何时候都能获得足够、安全和营养的食物，以满足他们的饮食需求和积极健康生活的食物偏好时，就存在粮食安全。相反，当人们无法获得足够的食物时，就会出现粮食不安全的情况，这种情况往往与贫困和低收入有关，并对个人的健康和营养产生重要影响。鉴于妇女对粮食生产和准备的贡献、她们作为生育者和照顾者在社会中的角色、全世界越来越多的女性为户主的家庭以及她们经济地位的明显劣势，在讨论粮食不安全及其对健康、营养和行为的影响时，需要特别考虑妇女的情况。本文综述了与妇女和粮食不安全相关的科学文献。粮食不安全与肥胖、焦虑和抑郁症状、风险性行为、不良应对策略以及妇女不良的妊娠结局有关，尽管关于关联的方向和因果关系的证据尚不清楚。在资源匮乏的环境中，粮食不安全对体重、营养结果和妊娠结局的影响，以及对艾滋病毒感染等疾病进展的影响，缺乏证据和理解。需要更多的研究来指导针对妇女的粮食不安全的有效干预措施。然而，实际经验表明，短期援助和长期战略都很重要，这些战略可以改善生计、解决行为和应对策略问题、承认粮食不安全的心理健康组成部分，并努力确保妇女拥有与男子同等的经济机会、土地获取权和经济权力。
