title: Healthy eating index for pregnancy: adaptation for use in pregnant women in Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate dietary quality in a sample of pregnant women based on one simple and objective parameter.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women (n = 712), between 16 and 36 weeks, attending primary care clinics in Porto Alegre and Bento Gonçalves, Southern Brazil, in 2010 were recruited to take part. The Healthy Eating Index for Brazilian Pregnancy (HEIP-B) was created, derived from the American instrument called Alternate Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P). Questionnaires on frequency of consumption and on socio-demographic factors were completed. Focused principal component analysis (ACPF) was used to assess the relationship between the index and nutrients relevant to pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median (interquartile range) of AHEI-P and HEIP-B were 66.6 (57.8-72.4) and 67.4 (60.0-73.4), respectively. The HEIP-B showed a good positive correlation with nutrients which are specifically recommended for pregnancy: folate (r = 0.8; p < 0.001), calcium (r = 0.6; p < 0.001) and iron (r = 0.7; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of the diet of the pregnant women in this study was classified as within the "improvements needed" cut off point, which demonstrates the need for more specific education on nutrition for this stage of life. The index showed good correlations and, thus, may be considered an effective tool for assessing the quality of nutrition during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Departamento de Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. cmelere@gmail.com
authors.forename: Cristiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melere
authors.forename: Juliana Feliciati
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Maria Angélica Antunes
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drehmer
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buss
authors.forename: Silvia Giselle Ibarra
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Ozcariz
authors.forename: Rafael Marques
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Patricia Portantiolo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Manzolli
authors.forename: Bruce Bartholow
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Suzi Alves
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Camey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult