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ANTHROPOMETRIC AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY IN ASIAN AND EUROPEAN MOTHERS HAVING WELL GROWN BABIES
Author(s) -
Bissenden J. G.,
Scott P. H.,
Hallum Jean,
Mansfield H. N.,
Scott P.,
Wharton B. A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1981.tb01687.x
Subject(s) - anthropometry , pregnancy , medicine , obstetrics , skinfold thickness , second trimester , head circumference , early pregnancy factor , pediatrics , birth weight , biology , fetus , gestation , genetics
Summary At this hospital, about a third of all mothers are Asian. Although generally they have smaller and lighter babies, many Asian mothers achieve similar standards of intrauterine growth to the European mother. This paper describes the nutritional status of Asian and European mothers having well grown babies. Twenty eight European and 11 Asian mothers, who had a normal past obstetric history and a normal present pregnancy resulting in a well grown baby, were studied throughout pregnancy. At each visit, weight, skinfold thickness, and mid‐upper arm circumference were measured and biochemical measurements of nutritional status were performed (serum albumin, transferrin and alkaline ribonuclease, plasma amino acids and nitrogen partition of urine). Asian mothers were fatter than European mothers at booking and put on more fat during the second trimester. At the same time, the biochemical tests suggested that the Asian mothers had a higher plane of nutrition. It seems that if the Asian mothers are well nourished in the second trimester, they can achieve a standard of intrauterine growth comparable to the Europeans.