Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 301 Oxford House, 1313 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, 1001 Potrero Ave, SFGH 5, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.
Appetite. 2018 Jan 1;120:163-170. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.08.033. Epub 2017 Aug 31.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that pica occurs among Hispanic women in the United States, especially during pregnancy. However, the prevalence and socio-demographic and biological factors associated with pica in this population have not been adequately identified.
Trained, bilingual study personnel conducted structured interviews at public health clinics in Salinas Valley, California with 187 pregnant Hispanic women in their 2nd or 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. Hemoglobin was measured using Hemocue; concentrations of transferrin receptor (TfR) and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) were measured in dried blood spots. Multivariable stepwise regression analyses were conducted with pica during pregnancy as the dependent variable and individual- and family-level factors as independent variables to identify significant associations. Additionally, multivariable models were built to explore the associations between pica and iron status (iron deficiency and anemia).
Half of all participants (51.3%) had ever engaged in pica, and 37.6% had done so during the current pregnancy. Pica substances included large quantities of ice, frost, raw starches, and various earthen items. Pica during the current pregnancy was significantly associated with higher TfR concentrations [OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.51] indicative of low iron stores and greater food insecurity [OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.40]. Women who engaged in pica during the current pregnancy were more likely to be iron deficient [adjusted OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.19, 5.60], but not anemic [adjusted OR: 1.40; 0.60, 3.23].
Among pregnant Hispanic women, pica was prevalent and strongly associated with iron deficiency and food insecurity. Clinicians should screen for pica during pregnancy in Hispanic populations, and future studies should elucidate the underlying etiology and consequences of engaging in pica during pregnancy.
有传闻证据表明，怀孕的美国西班牙裔女性中会出现异食癖，尤其是在怀孕期间。然而，该人群中异食癖的流行情况以及与社会人口学和生物学因素相关的情况尚未得到充分确定。
在加利福尼亚州萨利纳斯谷的公共卫生诊所，经过培训的双语研究人员对 187 名处于妊娠中期或晚期的怀孕西班牙裔女性进行了结构访谈。使用 Hemocue 测量血红蛋白；在干血斑中测量转铁蛋白受体 (TfR) 和 α-1 酸性糖蛋白 (AGP) 的浓度。将怀孕期间的异食癖作为因变量，将个体和家庭层面的因素作为自变量进行多变量逐步回归分析，以确定显著关联。此外，还建立了多变量模型来探讨异食癖与铁状态（缺铁和贫血）之间的关联。
所有参与者中有一半（51.3%）曾经有过异食癖，其中 37.6%在当前怀孕期间有过这种行为。异食癖物质包括大量的冰、霜、生淀粉和各种泥土物品。当前怀孕期间的异食癖与较低的铁储存量和更大的食物不安全感呈显著相关[比值比 (OR)：1.29；95%置信区间 (CI)：1.11，1.51]。当前怀孕期间有过异食癖的女性更有可能缺铁[校正比值比 (aOR)：2.58；95%CI：1.19，5.60]，但并非贫血[aOR：1.40；0.60，3.23]。
在怀孕的西班牙裔女性中，异食癖很普遍，与缺铁和食物不安全密切相关。临床医生应在西班牙裔人群中筛查怀孕期间的异食癖，未来的研究应阐明怀孕期间异食癖的潜在病因和后果。
