Maternal Dietary Quality During Pregnancy and Its Association With Low Birth Weight and Small for Gestational Age: A Birth Cohort in China

Abstract

ObjectivesMaternal nutrition during pregnancy plays a vital role in fetal growth and development. Dietary index eliminates the need for complex nutrient calculations and assess dietary quality as a whole. The present study was conducted to evaluate maternal dietary quality using specific dietary index for Chinese pregnant women, and to explore the association between maternal diet and the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA). MethodsA birth cohort was conducted in Beijing, China (n = 3871) between June 2018 and February 2019. Maternal diet in the 1st and 2nd trimesters was assessed by inconsecutive 2-day 24-hour dietary recalls. The Chinese Diet Balance Index for Pregnancy (DBI-P) was used to assess participants’ dietary quality. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to explore the independent effects of DBI components on LBW and SGA. ResultsThe prevalence of LBW and SGA was 3.8% and 6.0%, respectively in the present study. There existed an unbalanced diet, especially high insufficient intake of vegetables (87.3% and 86.6%), dairy (95.9% and 96.6%), and aquatic foods (80.5% and 85.4%) in both the 1st and 2nd trimesters. Adequate fruits consumption was higher in the 1st trimester (76.7%) than that in the 2nd trimester (15.5%). The intake of cereals was negatively associated with the risk of LBW (OR = 0.944, 95% CI: 0.893–0.997), and the intake of dairy and dairy products was negatively associated with the risk of SGA (OR = 0.874, 95% CI: 0.773–0.987) in the 2nd trimester, after adjusting for potential confounders. ConclusionsDiet quality of Chinese pregnant women in Beijing was unbalanced, in particular high insufficiency in dairy products and vegetables. Pregnant women should pay attention to the adequate intakes of cereals and dairy products in mid-pregnancy, in order to prevent the occurrence of LBW and SGA. Funding SourcesThis study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Peking University Research Initiation Fund.