Preconception Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Birth Outcomes in Adolescent Girls

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health
• Maternal and child health
• Public health

Background:

• Preconception care guidelines often recommend optimal nutrition and physical activity.
• The impact of these lifestyle factors on birth outcomes like low birth weight and preterm birth requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between preconception nutrition and physical activity with birth outcomes in adolescents.
• To assess the association between adolescent dietary habits and physical activity levels with birth weight and gestational age.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Waves I, II, and IV.
• Assessed dietary intake (food frequency, specific food items) and physical activity (active behavior, sedentary behavior) in adolescents.
• Employed multivariable linear regression analysis with survey weighting to predict birth weight and gestational age.

Main Results:

• No significant associations were found between reported food intake and birth outcomes.
• Increased episodes of active behavior were associated with higher birth weights (P < .01).
• Sedentary behavior and BMI showed no significant association with birth weight, though a U-shaped association was observed for BMI and birth weight (P for quadratic term = .01).

Conclusions:

• Higher levels of physical activity in adolescents prior to pregnancy are associated with improved birth weight.
• These findings highlight the importance of promoting physical activity in adolescents for positive maternal and child health outcomes.