title: Dietary habits, pregnancy weight gain and birthweights in a highland population of Kenya.
abstract: In a prospective study of the effects of micro-nutrient supplementation during pregnancy in a cohort of healthy, non-anaemic antenatal outpatients of a small hospital in highland Kenya, research was also carried out on dietary habits, weight gain and birth-weights. Participants were enrolled at a mean gestation of 29 weeks (s.d.2.37). Special consideration was given to the dietary intake of the micronutrients most important to erythropoiesis, namely iron, folate and vitamin C (the main promotor of iron absorption). It was found that 74% consumed an inferior diet with regard to these micronutrients. The mean birth-weight of infants born to participants was 3178 grams (s.d. 398 grams). Only two variables were found to be significantly associated with birth-weight; mothers' weight gain on enrollment and mothers' weight gain during one month of the last trimester (p < 0.05). It appears that the dietary intake during pregnancy in this population was lacking in important micronutrients, and it is recommended that antenatal clinics prioritise nutrition education during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Muita
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Omwega
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012423:Rural Health; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D014815:Vitamins