Pregnancy & Dietary Behavior

In this secondary analysis study by Chang, Brown & Wegener (2020), the authors sought to fill a knowledge gap by examining whether perceived stress reduction brought on by a lifestyle intervention may act as a mediating factor in low-income, overweight, or obese mothers of young children who consume fast food and dietary items rich in fat. Following a 16-week lifestyle intervention that promoted physical health, healthy eating, and stress management, 338 low-income, overweight, or obese moms of young children participated in a phone interview for this investigation. Valid questionnaires were utilized to measure fat and fast food intake and subjective stress. Analysis of the results revealed that, although the overall impact of the intervention was significant in reducing fast food intake, it was not substantial for fat intake. The indirect effects of the intervention on fat and fast food intakes were also significant when evaluating the possible involvement of perceived stress as a mediator. The authors conclude by highlighting the need for future research on dietary interventions that aim to lower fast food and fat intakes in low-income, overweight, or obese moms of young children that would take into account doable methods for lowering perceived stress. [NPID: Stress, low income women, fat intake, fast food intake, obesity]

In this 2020 study, Nansel et al. inspect the associations between reward-related eating, self-regulation, and the home food environment with diet quality during pregnancy and following childbirth (postpartum). The women were monitored from their first trimester of pregnancy (≤12 weeks gestation) to their postpartum period (1 year after giving birth). Dietary data were all collected at each trimester and at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum. The Healthy Eating Index scores (which measures diet quality) during pregnancy were inversely associated with reward-related eating (all measures to some extent) and with self-regulation (1 out of 2 measures). However, the relationship between postpartum dietary quality score and these outcomes was not statistically significant. As the Healthy Eating Index scores obtained during pregnancy and postpartum increased, the obesogenic scores in the Home Food Inventory were generally lower, and the fruit and vegetable scores were found to be greater. The fact that diet quality tended to be lower in women during pregnancy than the postpartum period suggests that further investigation is warranted to better understand what determines eating behaviors during pregnancy. [NPID: reward, diet quality, home, impulsivity, postpartum, pregnancy, self-regulation]

In this 2019 study, Jardí et al. followed the pregnancies of 793 healthy women from the first prenatal visit to the period following childbirth. The pregnant subjects’ diets were monitored, and their clinical history, anthropometric measurements, and lifestyle habits were collected. The aim was to examine their adherence to the Spanish dietary guidelines and to the Mediterranean diet, and check whether their diets change over their gestational period and after giving birth. Although the expecting mothers did not consume enough healthy foods during pregnancy, their intake levels of sweets, and red and processed meats exceeded recommendations. Level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was found to be medium, and this was maintained throughout pregnancy. However, there were significant dietary changes observed in the ladies after giving birth. For example, the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and cereals (salted and sweet) during pregnancy was markedly higher than during the postpartum period (following childbirth). Lastly, adherence to the Mediterranean diet was positively associated with age, social class, and education level. Those who do not drink nor smoke were also more likely to adhere well to the Mediterranean diet. In conclusion, the pregnant women from Spain deviated from the recommended consumption levels during pregnancy, stuck fairly well to the Mediterranean diet throughout the pregnancy and post-partum, and ate less healthy foods following childbirth than during the first trimester. [NPID: Mediterranean, consumption, lactation, maternal factors, post-partum, pregnancy]

This 2020 systematic review was conducted to better understand the level of adherence to dietary guidelines during preconception (of men and women) and during pregnancy (of women only). Another aim was to find out the factors that influence the subjects’ adherence. The selected studies had to include men or women aged at least 18 years who identified as either trying to conceive a baby or already pregnant. Of the 18 studies included in this review, the quality was generally rated as fair (44%) to good (56%). Most of the research indicated that preconceptual and pregnant women did not eat enough vegetables, cereal grains, or folates. Additionally, pregnant women did not meet the dietary requirements for iron or calcium intake in 91% and 55% of the studies, respectively. Fat consumption levels were also found to be excessively high compared with guidelines. Better guideline adherence was observed in pregnant women with higher level education, while older age and non-smoking status were associated with greater guideline adherence in preconceptual and pregnant women. According to these results, ladies (intent on conceiving and those pregnant) may not be meeting the minimum requirements stated in dietary guidelines and nutritional recommendations. [NPID: diet, assessment, dietary guidelines, preconception, pregnancy, nutrition, systematic review]