Influence of dietary intake and decision-making during pregnancy on birth outcomes

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to examine dietary intake and decision-making in a cohort of pregnant South-East Queensland women to determine compliance with dietary guidelines and the relationships between dietary intake, decision-making and birth outcomes. Methods: Pregnant women attending maternity services at participating hospitals reported food frequency and motivations using the Maternal Outcomes and Nutrition Tool, a novel digital instrument. Birth outcomes were sourced from hospital records. A cross-sectional cohort design was used to examine the data. Results: Analysis demonstrated suboptimal intake of core food groups; meat and alternatives (median [IQR]) (2.6 [2.0-3.4] serves/day) and grains (3.1 [2.1-4.1]) fell below recommendations; fruit (3.8 [2.5-5.3]) and discretionary foods (3.1 [2.1-4.4]) exceeded them. Hypertensive disorders demonstrated a negative linear relationship with vegetable intake (P =.017). Cultural diversity was significantly associated with decreased birthweight (P =.022) but increased intake of meat and alternatives (3.1 vs 2.6, P