Low‐income mothers, nutrition and health: a systematic review of qualitative evidence

Abstract

Diet is a key issue for UK health policies, particularly in relation to poorer socio-economic groups. From a public health perspective, the government's role is to help low-income families to make healthy food choices, and to create the conditions to enable them to make healthy decisions. Arguably, however, current policy on nutrition and health is influenced by individualist and behavioural perspectives, which fail to take into account the full impact of structural factors on food choices. This paper draws on a systematic review of qualitative studies that prioritize low-income mothers' accounts of 'managing' in poverty, synthesizing a subset of studies that focus on diet, nutrition and health in poor families. Synthesis findings are explored in the context of dominant discourses concerning individual responsibility for health and gendered societal values concerning 'good' mothering. The paper concludes that a shift in emphasis in health policies, affording a higher priority to enabling measures that tackle the underlying determinants of health, would be advantageous in reducing nutritional inequities for low-income mothers and their children.

Influences on infant feeding decisions of first-time mothers in five European countries

“…exclusive breastfeeding and later introduction of foods other than milk (1-3). Use of written sources was associated with more years in formal education and higher income, and it is thus likely that the findings are reflecting the previously well-observed association between years in education and socioeconomic status, and breastfeeding initiation and duration, and later weaning (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Use of written sources involves active searching and reading, which may come more naturally to mothers who have experienced more years of education.…”

Association between sociodemographics factors and dietary patterns during pregnancy

“…These results are expected since these factors are related to access to health services and consequently, to health-related information, and additionally, higher income grants better access to healthier foods 29 since these are usually more expensive 30 . The study women had low income and schooling.…”

Delivery route preferences of urban women of low socioeconomic status

“…Furthermore, ECD might not have been a “real” possibility for them. The word “elective” implies an element of choice; it is “choice experienced within externally imposed limitations, which restricts its utility for poor mothers” [22]. In other words, this may be a choice that they, because of their economic status, are not really given, or that is not available to them as a group.…”