Food insecurity was associated with low quality diet and low HDL level in mothers of Northwest Mexico relying on fisheries for livelihood.

Background: food insecurity occurs when quality and quantity of food is insufficient for maintaining healthy nutritional and food profiles. Objectives: to determine if food insecurity is associated with dietary and biochemical measures in mothers of the northwest of Mexico, which relies primarily on fisheries for livelihood. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with 116 mothers of the Northwest of Mexico. A socioeconomic survey, food security scale, and two non-consecutive 24-hour recalls were applied. Anthropometric measurements were made and hemoglobin, glucose and cholesterol levels were measured. The association between key measures and food insecurity was assessed using logistic and linear regression. Results: two-thirds (68%) of households experienced food insecurity. Mothers with mild insecurity had 3.7 and 3.2 times higher odds of not consuming fruits and vegetables, respectively, and 4.9 times higher odds of consuming sweetened non-dairy drinks (p = 0.04; 0.04 and 0.05, respectively). In addition, they consumed less protein (beta = -3.22%; p < 0.01) and more carbohydrates (beta = 6.04%; p = 0.02) compared with mothers with food security. Mothers with severe insecurity consumed less iodine (beta = -24.41 mu g; p = 0.03) and had lower levels of HDL cholesterol (beta = -12.01 mg/dl; p = 0.03) than mothers with food security. Conclusions: food insecurity was associated with low quality diet and low levels of HDL cholesterol in mothers of Northwest Mexico relying on fisheries for livelihood.