title: [Pica: epidemiology and association with pregnancy complications].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to verify the occurrence ratio of pica in pregnant women and its impact on the mother and newborn health.
  
  
  METHODS
  prospective study with 227 adult pregnant women and their newborns treated at the Maternity School of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, between 2005 and 2006. Pica has been considered as the ingestion of inedible substances or atypical food combinations. The data was collected was done by medical chart review and interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pica was referred to by 14.4% of the women, 42.1% of whom practiced it daily. The onset occurred in the second gestational trimester in 46.7% of the cases, and, in the third trimester, in 30% of them. Among the alleged reasons, 65% of the women were unable to give them, 15% declared relief of nausea and heartburn and 10% reported reduced stress and anxiety. The practice in the previous gestation/puerperium was referred to by 15% of the women. Pica was not associated with the maternal anthropometric condition, the skin color, the marital status, the maternal schooling and the presence of parasitosis. There was no difference between the average of the total family income and the number of gestations for the women who did or did not have pica. Pica was associated with gestational anemia (p<0.009) and gestational intercurrences (OR=3.5; CI95%=1.6-7.9). As for the baby, pica did not interfere in the health parameters at birth: weight, gestational age and intercurrences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  pica must be investigated at prenatal assistance and recognized as a risk factor for the mother's health.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrição e Dietética, Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. claudiasaunders@nutricao.ufrj.br
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Patricia de Carvalho
authors.initials: Pde C
authors.lastname: Padilha
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Della Líbera
authors.forename: Jamile Lima
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Larissa Mello de
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Aurea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astulla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010842:Pica / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies