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A Comparison of Nutrition Knowledge and Behaviors of Low Income Pregnant Adolescents and Adults
Author(s) -
Ellis Megan,
O'Brien Kimberly,
Cooper Elizabeth,
Pressman Eva,
Whisner Corrie
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.395.6
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , overweight , gestation , calorie , psychological intervention , obesity , environmental health , nutrition education , birth weight , refined grains , obstetrics , gerontology , food science , endocrinology , whole grains , chemistry , genetics , psychiatry , biology
Low income, pregnant adolescents have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, delivery of low birth weight babies and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) that increases the risk of postpartum overweight and obesity. Dietary intake is a modifiable risk factor that may impact maternal health and fetal outcomes. To evaluate the effectiveness of a social media intervention on improving prenatal health beliefs and diet quality, 24 racially diverse pregnant women (12 teens and 12 adults; 54% Black and 33% White) were recruited. Participants completed pre‐ and post‐intervention nutrition knowledge questionnaires and up to 3 diet recalls across gestation to assess dietary behaviors. Self‐reported pre‐pregnancy BMI was 26.7 ± 5.5 kg/m 2 with a median (IQR) GWG of 12.0 (9.9, 16.8) kg over gestation (40.1 ± 1.0 weeks). While 41.7% of the participants were enrolled in WIC, diet quality remained poor with median fat and sugar intakes of 33% and 22% of calories, respectively. Dietary fiber intake did not differ by age group (23.4 ± 14.1 g vs. 18.5 ± 11.9 g) but insoluble fiber intake was significantly greater among pregnant adult women (P < 0.02) compared to adolescents. While most participants were able to identify sugary foods, adolescents had limited knowledge of fiber‐rich foods. Teens consumed greater quantities of sugar‐sweetened beverages and fast food items low in fiber. Overall, the inadequate dietary behaviors observed in this study suggest that future interventions should focus education on specific dietary nutrients such as added sugars and fiber in order to improve the diet quality of high‐risk pregnant populations.