AUTHOR=Posey Isabelle , Nsiah-Asamoah Christiana , Fergusson Russell Nicholas , Darkwa Entwi Esther , Okronipa Harriet 

TITLE=Experiences of Food Insecurity Among Pregnant Adolescents and Adolescent Mothers in Ghana: A Photovoice Method

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 69 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607043

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1607043

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objectives: Food insecurity (FI) remains a major public health problem globally. However, there is limited information about adolescents’ experiences. The current study explored FI experiences of pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers in Cape Coast, Ghana.
Methods: This study recruited 34 pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers from communities in Cape Coast, Ghana. Each participated in a training session then was provided prompts to take photos that portrayed food access barriers, facilitators and coping strategies. In a debrief session, each participant selected two pictures they took and explained the image, followed by a group session of the selected photos. Debrief sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim to develop themes using a theory-driven approach.
Results: Most participants reported several or many experiences with FI (64.7%) in the previous month. Participants discussed money, unwanted pregnancy, and unstable work as barriers to obtaining food and working, selling goods, and borrowing as facilitators to obtaining food.
Conclusions: The FI experience of this population is complex; interventions, including trade training or school retention, should be multifaceted.