Macronutrient and Micronutrient Intake among US Women Aged 20 to 44 Years

Abstract

Importance: Nutritional status before and during pregnancy is important for maternal health and fetal growth and development. Objective: To describe secular trends in nutrient intake from foods, beverages, and supplements among pregnant and nonpregnant women of reproductive age in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a secondary series of cross-sectional analyses of the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Pregnant (n = 1392) and nonpregnant (n = 9737) women aged 20 to 44 years who provided at least 1 reliable dietary recall were included for analysis. These analyses were performed between February 2022 and July 2024. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes included the mean usual intake of macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as the prevalence of inadequate intake of micronutrients. Results: This representative sample included 1392 pregnant women (mean [SE] age, 28.5 [0.3] years) and 9737 nonpregnant women (mean [SE] age, 32.2 [0.1] years). Among pregnant women, a weighted mean (SE) of 27.0% (1.8%) of women were in their first trimester, and 33.8% (2.2%) were in their second trimester. Mean (SE) carbohydrate intake decreased between 1999-2000 and 2013-2018 among pregnant women (306.9 [7.6] to 274.9 [5.7] g/d; β = -2.1 [0.4]; P