Food Insecurity and the Efficacy of a Gestational Diabetes (GDM) Risk Reduction Intervention-Healthy Eating Outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Female Adolescents and Young Adults (FAYAs)

AI/ANs are unduly impacted by GDM and food insecurity. Employing a clinical trials design, this secondary analysis used Stopping GDM trial data to describe and explore food insecurity as a moderator of the efficacy of a GDM risk reduction intervention on healthy eating behaviors and self-efficacy at 3 months among AI/AN FAYAs. Participants were AI/AN FAYAs and their mothers. Assessments included mother’s food insecurity using USDA Household Food Security Survey Module and FAYA’s healthy eating self-efficacy using Self-Efficacy for Healthy Eating and healthy eating behaviors from CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. The sample (N=149 dyads) was FAYAs (mean age 16.7±3.0 years) and their mothers, with 64% (n=95) living together. More than one-third (38.1%) reported food insecurity. At baseline food insecurity was associated with higher levels of eating vegetables and fruit for the full sample (p=.045) and cohabitating dyads (p=.002). By 3 months healthy eating self-efficacy (p=.048) and limiting snacking between meals (p=.031) improved more in the control group than the intervention group but only for cohabitating dyads. For the full sample the intervention group had increases in times eating vegetables (p=.022) and fruit (p=.015), while the control group had declines. In the full sample food insecurity did not moderate the group by time interaction for self-efficacy for healthy eating (p≥.05) but did moderate the group by time interaction for times drinking soda (p=.004) and days eating breakfast (p=.013). For cohabitating dyads food insecurity did moderate self-efficacy for eating 3 meals a day (p=.024) and days eating breakfast (p=.012). These results suggest food insecurity is an important factor regarding the efficacy of interventions designed to reduce GDM risk and offer unique insight on ‘upstream causes’ of GDM health disparities among AI/AN communities. Disclosure S.M.Sereika: None. S.A.Stotz: None. L.E.Hebert: None. L.Scarton: None. K.R.Moore: Consultant; Novo Nordisk. D.Charron-prochownik: None. The stopping gdm study group: n/a. Funding National Institutes of Health (R01NR014831)