Characteristics of pica behavior among mothers around Lake Victoria, Kenya

Abstract

Background: Pica, the craving and purposeful consumption of nonfoods, is poorly understood. We described the prevalence of pica among women on Mfangano Island, Kenya, and examined sociodemographic and health correlates. Methods: Our cross-sectional study included 299 pregnant or postpartum women in 2012. We used a 24-h recall to assess pica, defined as consumption of earth ( geophagy), charcoal/ash, or raw starches ( amylophagy) and built multivariable logistic regression models to examine sociodemographic and health correlates of pica. Results: Eighty-one women ( 27.1%) engaged in pica in the previous 24 h, with 59.3% reporting amylophagy and 56.8% reporting geophagy, charcoal, and / or ash consumption. The most common substances consumed were raw cassava ( n = 30, 36.6%), odowa, a chalky, soft rock-like earth ( n = 21, 25.6%), and soil ( n = 17, 20.7%). Geophagy, charcoal, and / or ash consumption was negatively associated with breastfeeding ( OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18-0.81), and amylophagy was associated with pregnancy ( OR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.24-14.96). Pica was more common within one of six study regions ( OR = 3.64, 95% CI: 1.39-9.51). We found no evidence of an association between food insecurity and pica. Conclusion: Pica was a common behavior among women, and the prevalence underscores the need to uncover its dietary, environmental, and cultural etiologies.