Antenatal dietary concordance among mothers and fathers and gestational weight gain: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Background: Parent-child dietary concordance is associated with child diet, but the clinical implications of mother-father dietary concordance during pregnancy are unknown. This study evaluates antenatal mother-father dietary concordance and associations with gestational weight gain (GWG). Methods: Mother-father (n = 111) dyads with low income reported their fruit/vegetable (FV), fast food (FF), and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption frequency during the first trimester of pregnancy. From electronic health records, we collected height and self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and calculated pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). The primary outcome was excessive GWG for pre-pregnancy BMI. Dyads were categorized as healthy or unhealthy concordant (consuming similarly high or low amounts of FV, FF, or SSB), or mother-healthy or father-healthy discordant (consuming different amounts of FV, FF, or SSB). Multivariable and logistic regressions analyzed associations between dietary concordance and GWG. Results: Mothers were Hispanic (25%), 43% White, 6% Black, and 23% Asian or Other. Most mothers were employed (62%) making