Food choices of low-income women during pregnancy and postpartum.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine dietary behavior during pregnancy and postpartum in a multiethnic sample of low-income women.


METHODS
Participants were 149 Medicaid-qualified women (30% white, 24% African American, and 46% Hispanic; median age, 22 years).


METHODS
Subjects were recruited into a longitudinal cohort design 0 to 1 days following delivery. Dietary choices during pregnancy and the first 6 months postpartum were assessed via validated food frequency questionnaires administered at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum, respectively.


METHODS
Frequencies and means were used for descriptive purposes. Paired and independent sample t tests were used for continuous variables; chi 2 and McNemar tests were used for categorical variables.


RESULTS
In all subjects, mean daily servings of grains (7.4 vs 6.2, P <.004), vegetables (2.5 vs 2.0, P <.002), and fruit (3.4 vs 1.7, P <.001) declined following childbirth, while the percentage of energy from fat (37.3% vs 38.4%, P <.023) and added sugar (14.4% vs 16.4%, P <.019) increased. Women who breastfed their infants at 6 months postpartum reported lower intakes of total fat (34.2% vs 37.9%, P <.005) during pregnancy and higher fruit (2.2 vs 1.6, P <.05) and vegetable (2.6 vs 1.8, P <.02) intakes in postpartum than those who bottle-fed. Also, a greater proportion of lactating than nonlactating women (66.7% vs 36.9%, P <.05) met recommendations for fruit intake during pregnancy.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that the transition from pregnancy to postpartum may be associated with a negative impact on dietary behavior that could compromise nutritional status in low-income women.
George
Goldy C
GC
Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, USA.
Hanss-Nuss
Henry
H
Milani
Tracey J
TJ
Freeland-Graves
Jeanne H
JH
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002755:Choice Behavior; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010298:Parity; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000208:ethnology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D004041:Dietary Fats