Impact of a prenatal education intervention in pregnant women to prevent overweight in infants.

Abstract

During the first 1000 days of life is the basis for a child's future health established. To evaluate the impact of a prenatal educational intervention in pregnant women on the nutritional status of the child from birth to 4 months of age. Quasi-experimental intervention design in women with at least 12 weeks of gestation, who were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) to participate in five group and three individual sessions on feeding practices and maternal perception of the child's weight and signals of hunger-satiety; the control group (CG) received routine care that included at least three prenatal consultations. Thirty women were included in each group. After the intervention, women in the CG practiced less exclusive breastfeeding, were more likely to underestimate or overestimate the children's weight, and perceived hunger-satiety signals with less intensity (p < 0.05). 80 % of the infants in the IG had normal weight, whereas 63 % of those in the CG had a combination of overweight and obesity (p < 0.05). The prenatal education program in pregnant women showed a significant effect on postnatal nutritional status of infants four months after birth.