Nutritional Health Education in Pregnant Women in a Rural Health Centre: Results in Spanish and Foreign Women

Abstract

The dietary behaviour of pregnant women, as well as the socio-cultural conditions in which pregnancy takes place, influence obstetric outcomes. To analyse the influence of socioeconomic factors and dietary habits on obstetric outcomes in Spanish and foreign pregnant women living in a rural environment, a population-based, prospective-observational study in a cohort of Spanish and foreign pregnant women in the town of Yepes, in the province of Toledo, Spain was conducted. Foreign pregnant women are ecodependent on their partners, have secondary education and low socioeconomic level. Spanish pregnant women have secondary education, a medium socio-economic level, live with their partners and are economically independent. Moreover, 85% of Spanish pregnant women gave birth at term and reached a gestational age of 40 ± 1.83 weeks. However, only 55% of foreign pregnant women reached a gestational age of 39.72 ± 2.28 weeks. Through health education, pregnant women in this geographical area of Castilla la Mancha, Spain, adopted bicultural dietary patterns, thus reaching the prescribed diet of 2000 Kcal. Through this diet, both Spanish and foreign pregnant women maintained albumin and plasma protein levels within the established range, with no significant differences in obstetric outcomes among pregnant women in the study.