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Recording available 2/16-5/2

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Poster Session 1

Category: Health Equity/Community Health

Poster Session 1

(276) Food and housing insecurity and breastfeeding in low-come pregnant women: the CRADLE study

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Coauthor(s)

LP

Lilly Picklesimer

The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, Ohio, United States
VM

Veronica A. Mize, BS, MD

Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina, United States
Jessica H. Britt, PhD

Biostatistician
Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina, United States
LZ

Lu Zhang, PhD

Clemson University
clemson, South Carolina, United States
MH

Moonseong Heo, BA, MA, PhD

Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina, United States

Submitting Author and Presenting Author(s)

Amy H. Crockett, MD, MSPH (she/her/hers)

Professor
Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina, United States

Objective:
Food and housing security may promote breastfeeding (BF) by ensuring adequate nutrition, reducing chronic stress, and allowing for safe and private environments. Evidence on the association between food and housing security and BF is inconsistent with small sample sizes. We examined the relationship between food and housing insecurity on BF initiation and continuation in a large, well-defined cohort of low-income pregnant women.

Study Design:
Secondary analysis of the Cradle randomized clinical trial evaluating group prenatal care. Participants completed surveys of demographics, food and housing security, and perceived stress scales. Medical records were abstracted for BF initiation at hospital discharge and at 6 weeks postpartum. Participants were divided between food secure and insecure and housing secure and insecure. Chi square and t-tests differences between groups. Multivariable logistic regressions adjust for race and age.

Results:
2160 participants, all of whom completed food security screens; 1905 completed housing security screens. Food insecurity (555, 25.7%) was more common than housing insecurity (359, 18.9%). Participants with food insecurity were less likely to be married (19.1% vs 25.0%), more likely to be White (42.3% vs 34.7%), to have unintended pregnancy (71.5% vs 65.3%) and smoke before (45.4% vs 33.1%) and during pregnancy (26.3% vs 15.1%), p < 0.01 for all. Housing insecure participants had similar characteristics but were older (26.0 vs. 25.0, p< 0.01). Higher perceived stress scores were seen for both food (7.0 vs. 4.0) and housing (7.0 vs 5.0) insecurity (p < 0.01). BF initiation or continuation was not significantly associated with housing insecurity (aOR: 1.14 [0.87-1.50] and 1.02 [0.76-1.35], respectively) or food insecurity (aOR: 1.17 [0.92-1.48] and 1.26 [0.98-1.62], respectively).

Conclusion:
Rates of BF were not affected by food or housing insecurity. Further studies should explore contributing factors of relative success in this group since these may provide insight that can be leveraged for improving other health behaviors for patients with food or housing insecurity.