Chung, E.O.Omollo, D.O.Mattah, B.Hickey, M.D.Salmen, C.R.Milner, E.M.Brashares, J.S.Young, S.L.Fernald, L.C.H.Fiorella, K.J.2021-03-162021-03-162019-07-14Chung, EO, Omollo, DO, Mattah, B, Hickey, MD, Salmen, CR, Milner, EM, Brashares, JS, Young, SL, Fernald, LCH, Fiorella, KJ. 2016. Characteristics of Pica Behaviors Among Women in Western Kenya. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition. In review.https://hdl.handle.net/1813/103507Background: 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.en-USpicageophagyamylophagypregnancybreastfeedingKenyaarticle