Maternal dietary intake arid pregnancy outcomes in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

A survey was conducted among 103 pregnant women attending a maternal and child health centre in Rasaf, Baghdad, to study the relationships between maternal dietary intake and pregnancy outcome. Dietary intake values were not significantly correlated with birthweight and birth length except for caloric intake, which was significantly correlated with pregnancy weight gain, delivery weight, pre-pregnancy weight, birthweight, and birth length (i = +.33, r = +.30, r = +.26, r = +.38, andr = +.32, respectively). The results showed that the pregnant women who delivered small-for-gestational-age infants had diets that provided less energy than those who delivered fullterm infants (p < .05,). ©1999, The United Nations University.