Pre-pregnancy dietary pattern is associated with newborn size: results from ProcriAr study

Author(s)

Teixeira, Juliana A. ^[1] ; Hoffman, Daniel J. ^[2] ; Castro, Teresa G. ^{[3, 4]} ; Saldiva, Silvia Regina D. M. ^[5] ; Francisco, V, Rossana P. ; Vieira, Sandra Elisabete ^[6] ; Marchioni, Dirce Maria ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Nutr, Sch Publ Hlth, BR-01246904 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Rutgers State Univ, Dept Nutr Sci, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 - USA

^[3] Univ Auckland, Fac Med Sci, Nutr Sect, Auckland 1023 - New Zealand

^[4] Univ Auckland, Sch Populat Hlth, Dept Epidemiol & Biostat, Auckland 1142 - New Zealand

^[5] Hlth Inst Sao Paulo State, Dept Hlth, BR-01314000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Paediat, BR-05403000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION; v. 126, n. 6, p. 903-912, SEP 28 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Babies born small-for-gestational age (SGA) have an increased risk of mortality, morbidity and adverse functional consequences. Studies suggest that pre-pregnancy maternal diet may influence newborns' size. This study aimed to determine whether maternal pre-pregnancy dietary patterns (DP) are associated with delivering SGA newborns in the ProcriAr Cohort Study, Sao Paulo-Brazil. Pre-pregnancy DP of 299 women were investigated using factor analysis with principal component's estimation, based on intake reported on a validated 110-item FFQ. Newborns were classified as SGA if their weight and/or length, adjusted by gestational age and sex, were below the 10th percentile of the INTERGROWTH-21st standards. Multivariate Poisson regression modelling with robust error variance was performed to examine associations between the different DP (in quintiles) and SGA. In a model adjusted by maternal sociodemographic and health behaviours, women who scored in the highest quintile of the DP `Snacks, sandwiches, sweets and soft drinks' (in relation to the women who scored in the lowest quintile) were significantly more likely to deliver SGA babies (relative risk 1 center dot 92; 95 % CI 1 center dot 08, 3 center dot 39). This study verified that women's pre-pregnancy dietary behaviour characterised by an energy-dense nutrient-poor food intake was a risk factor for delivering SGA newborns. Investments in education and improved access to healthful food and nutritional information before pregnancy should be prioritised due to their potential positive impact on child health. However, further studies are warranted to identify specific metabolic pathways that may be underlying these associations. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/17315-9 - Influence of nutritional factors and urban air pollutants on children's respiratory health: cohort study in pregnant women in São Paulo
• Grantee: Silvia Regina Dias Medici Saldiva
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/12647-1 - Evidence about the relationship between folate one carbon metabolism pathway and three important outcomes in health: low birth weight, persistent HPV infection in men and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases
• Grantee: Juliana Araujo Teixeira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate