Dietary patterns in pregnancy and birth weight

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Maternal Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Dietary habits during pregnancy significantly impact fetal development and birth outcomes.
• Understanding specific dietary patterns associated with birth weight is crucial for maternal and child health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between dietary patterns in the third gestational trimester and infant birth weight.
• To identify specific food consumption patterns that may influence birth weight in pregnant women.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 1,298 pregnant women in Brazil.
• Food frequency questionnaires assessed dietary intake.
• Exploratory factor analysis and multivariate linear regression identified dietary patterns and their association with birth weight.

Main Results:

• Four distinct dietary patterns were identified: prudent, traditional, Western, and snack.
• The snack pattern, characterized by cookies, salty snacks, and chocolate, showed a positive association with birth weight in pregnant adolescents (β = 56.64; p = 0.04).
• These four patterns explained 36.4% of the dietary consumption variability.

Conclusions:

• Adherence to a snack-heavy dietary pattern during pregnancy is associated with increased birth weight among adolescent mothers.
• These findings highlight the importance of dietary guidance tailored to pregnant adolescents to manage birth weight outcomes.