Nutrient Adequacy Is Low among Both Self-Declared Lacto-Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian Pregnant Women in Uttar Pradesh.

Alexandra L Bellows,Sebanti Ghosh,Shivani Kachwaha,Purnima Menon,Jessica Escobar-Alegria,Phuong H Nguyen,Kristen Kappos

doi:10.3390/nu12072126

Abstract

Poor dietary intake during pregnancy remains a significant public health concern, affecting the health of the mother and fetus. This study examines the adequacy of energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient intakes among self-declared lacto-vegetarian and non-vegetarian pregnant women. We analyzed dietary data from 627 pregnant women in Uttar Pradesh, India, using a multiple-pass 24 h diet recall. Compared to non-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians (~46%) were less likely to report excessive carbohydrate (78% vs. 63%) and inadequate fat intakes (70% vs. 52%). In unadjusted analyses, lacto-vegetarians had a slightly higher mean PA for micronutrients (20% vs. 17%), but these differences were no longer significant after controlling for caste, education, and other demographic characteristics. In both groups, the median intake of 9 out of 11 micronutrients was below the Estimated Average Requirement. In conclusion, the energy and micronutrient intakes were inadequate, and the macronutrient intakes were imbalanced, regardless of stated dietary preferences. Since diets are poor across the board, a range of policies and interventions that address the household food environment, nutrition counseling, behavior change, and supplementation are needed in order to achieve adequate nutrient intake for pregnant women in this population.

Highlights

Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women are significant public health concerns in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1,2,3,4]
We found no significant differences in the perceived social norms of dietary practices during pregnancy between the two groups (Figure 1)
We found that the diets of pregnant women in Uttar Pradesh are poor, regardless of their own found that the diets pregnant women ininadequate

Summary

Introduction

Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women are significant public health concerns in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1,2,3,4]. Maternal undernutrition prior to and during pregnancy can lead to adverse outcomes, including fetal growth restriction, the risk of preterm birth, and maternal mortality [3,7]. Fetal growth restriction increases a child’s risk of stunting and poor cognitive development [3,8,9]. Deficiencies in key micronutrients such as calcium, iron, and folate are associated with the increased risk of hypertension, maternal death, low birthweight of the child, and neural tube defects [3,10,11,12,13]

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