Characteristics of Pica Behavior among Mothers around Lake Victoria, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study.
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| Abstract |    :  
                  : 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. : 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. : 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 ( = 30, 36.6%), odowa, a chalky, soft rock-like earth ( = 21, 25.6%), and soil ( = 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. : Pica was a common behavior among women, and the prevalence underscores the need to uncover its dietary, environmental, and cultural etiologies.  | 
        
| Year of Publication |    :  
                  2019 
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| Journal |    :  
                  International journal of environmental research and public health 
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| Volume |    :  
                  16 
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| Issue |    :  
                  14 
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| Date Published |    :  
                  2019 
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| ISSN Number |    :  
                  1661-7827 
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| URL |    :  
                  http://www.mdpi.com/resolver?pii=ijerph16142510 
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| DOI |    :  
                  10.3390/ijerph16142510 
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| Short Title |    :  
                  Int J Environ Res Public Health 
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