Association between Maternal Dietary Patterns and Anthropometric Parameters of Polish Pregnant Women and Infants: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

The role of maternal diet on anthropometry of pregnant women and birth outcomes is ambiguous. The aim of this study was to describe maternal dietary patterns according to individual characteristics and examined associations between them and the anthropometric parameters of mother and infant. Pregnant women enrolled from 2010-2012 of hospitals in the province of Warmia and Mazury. Dietary patterns were identified from a food frequency questionnaire using Principal Components Analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the potential association of each dietary pattern and anthropometry of mother: prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain; and infant: birth weight, length, Ponderal Index. Three dietary patterns were identified: “Varied”, “Traditional Polish” and “Vegetable-fruit”. In the Varied dietary pattern the third tertile was associated with higher risk of excessive gestational weight gain and the second tertile was associated with higher risk of to low birth weight. In tertiles of the Traditional Polish dietary pattern the risk of too high BMI was higher among women in the higher tertiles. The risk of too high Ponderal Index in newborns was lower among women in the higher tertiles of the Vegetable- fruit dietary pattern. Moreover, the risk of too low Ponderal Index in newborns was higher among women in the higher tertiles of this dietary pattern. More research is needed to confirm this finding and the direction of changes induced by maternal diet.