Maternal dietary intake during pregnancy and its association to birth size in rural Malawi

A cross‐sectional study

Bibliographic Data

ID15536853
AuthorsKatrine G Hjertholm (University of Oslo, corresponding author), Per Ole Iversen (0000-0003-2977-9153, University of Oslo), Gerd Holmboe‐Ottesen (University of Oslo), Ibrahimu Mdala (0000-0002-5204-1934, University of Oslo), Alister Munthali (0000-0002-3495-3446, University of Malawi), Kenneth Maleta (0000-0002-2536-3938, University of Malawi), Zumin Shi (0000-0002-3099-3299, The University of Adelaide), Elaine L Ferguson (0000-0003-4673-5128, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Penjani Rhoda Kamudoni (University of Oslo), Penjani Kamudoni (Department of Community Health, Institute of Health and Society University of Oslo Oslo Norway)
Year2017
Volume14
Issue1
Publication date2017-02-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.12433
PMID28217860
OpenAlexW2588429102
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited25

In low-resource settings, such as rural Malawi, pregnant women are prone to energy and micronutrient deficiencies with the consequence of delivering low-birth weight infants with higher risks of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to examine the association between maternal dietary intakes during pregnancy and infant birth size. Dietary intakes of 203 pregnant women were assessed between 28 and 35 weeks of gestation and their infants' (n = 132) birth size measured. Intakes of energy, macronutrients, and 11 micronutrients were estimated using a 3-day interactive 24-hr diet recall. Semiquantitative data on food intakes for four additional days were also collected to assess food patterns. Using multilevel linear regression modeling, maternal intakes of carbohydrate were negatively associated with neonate length (β: -0.1; 95% CI: -0.2, 0.0 cm/E%) and abdominal circumference (β: -0.1, 95% CI: -0.2, 0.0 cm/E%), whereas intakes of fat were positively associated with neonate length (β: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.2 cm/E%) and abdominal circumference (β: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.2 cm/E%). Vitamin C intakes were positively associated with birth weight (β: 1.4; 95% CI: 0.5, 2.3 g/mg). The frequency of milk intake was positively associated with birth weight (β: 75.3; 95% CI: 13.6, 137.0 g/day). These findings offer practical suggestions for food-based interventions in the study area to promote inclusion of fat, vitamin C-rich foods, and milk in pregnancy

Birth weight · Calorie · Cross-sectional study · Gestation · Low birth weight · Micronutrient · Obstetrics · Pregnancy · Birth, Development, and Health · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Gestational Diabetes Research and Management · Medicine · Internal Medicine

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