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Interpregnancy nutrition intervention with mothers of low‐birthweight babies living in an inner city area: a feasibility study
Author(s) -
Doyle W.,
Crawford M. A.,
Srivastava A.,
Costeloe K. L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of human nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1365-277X
pISSN - 0952-3871
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-277x.1999.00203.x
Subject(s) - medicine , intervention (counseling) , pediatrics , environmental health , obstetrics , nursing
Summary Background : Inadequate maternal nutrition around the time of conception is reported to be associated with nongenetic congenital abnormalities and with low birthweight. Aim : To evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition counselling during the interpregnancy interval for women who have had a low‐birthweight baby, who live in an inner city area, and whose diets have been assessed as inadequate. Method : Mothers who had a low‐birthweight baby and planned to have another baby were recruited into a pilot preconception nutrition counselling trial. Seven‐day diet diaries were used to assess the dietary intakes of mothers before and after exposure to counselling. Results : Of 152 mothers interviewed, 111 (73%) agreed to participate; 77 (51%) participants completed 7‐day diet diaries; of these, the calculated micronutrient intake of 70 (91%) was arbitrarily defined as ‘inadequate’, meeting fewer than four of 16 Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs). Forty‐one (59%) of the 70 mothers with an ‘inadequate’ diet completed a second diary after 6 months exposure to nutrition counselling. Following the counselling period, the intake of few nutrients increased above the 5% level, although the trend was towards an improved dietary intake. Conclusions : Dietary counselling on its own in the interpregnancy period is unlikely to improve nutritional status of mothers in this inner city population.