A moderately high-fat Mediterranean diet does not promote weight gain. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary intake of specific types of fat and obesity and body weight. A prospective cohort study was performed using data of 6942 participants in the PREDIMED trial, with yearly repeated validated food-frequency questionnaires, and anthropometric outcomes (median follow-up: 4.8 years). The effects of replacing dietary fat subtypes for one another, proteins or carbohydrates were estimated using generalized estimating equations substitution models. Replacement of 5% energy from saturated fatty acids (SFA) with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) resulted in weight changes of −0.38 kg (95% Confidece Iinterval (CI): −0.69, −0.07), and −0.51 kg (95% CI: −0.81, −0.20), respectively. Replacing proteins with MUFA or PUFA decreased the odds of becoming obese. Estimates for the daily substitution of one portion of red meat with white meat, oily fish or white fish showed weight changes up to −0.87 kg. Increasing the intake of unsaturated fatty acids at the expense of SFA, proteins, and carbohydrates showed beneficial effects on body weight and obesity. It may therefore be desirable to encourage high-quality fat diets like the Mediterranean diet instead of restricting total fat intake.
Prenatal nutrition is a key predictor of early-life development. However, despite mass campaigns to stimulate healthy nutrition during pregnancy, the diet of Dutch pregnant women is often suboptimal. Innovative technologies offer an opportunity to develop tailored tools, which resulted in the release of various apps on healthy nutrition during pregnancy. As midwives act as primary contact for Dutch pregnant women, the goal was to explore the experiences and perspectives of midwives on (1) nutritional counselling during pregnancy, and (2) nutritional mHealth apps to support midwifery care. Analyses of eleven in-depth interviews indicated that nutritional counselling involved the referral to websites, a brochure, and an app developed by the Dutch Nutrition Centre. Midwives were aware of the existence of other nutritional mHealth apps but felt uncertain about their trustworthiness. Nevertheless, midwives were open towards the implementation of new tools providing that these are trustworthy, accessible, user-friendly, personalised, scientifically sound, and contain easy-digestible information. Midwives stressed the need for guidelines for professionals on the implementation of new tools. Involving midwives early-on in the development of future nutritional mHealth apps may facilitate better alignment with the needs and preferences of end-users and professionals, and thus increase the likelihood of successful implementation in midwifery practice.
Background A healthy dietary intake during pregnancy is important for maternal and child health. However, pregnant women with a low socio-economic status often fail to meet dietary guidelines and requirements for healthy nutrition. Dietitians may play an important role in providing nutritional advice during pregnancy because midwives often experience a lack of nutritional knowledge, time and skills to provide adequate advice. However, there is limited research on the support that dietitians can offer in antenatal care practices for pregnant women. Therefore, this study aims to explore the opportunities for dietitians to support pregnant women with a low socio-economic status in concurrent antenatal care practices in the Netherlands. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 pregnant women with a low socio-economic status and 13 dietitians to identify barriers for healthy eating for pregnant women and the associated opportunities for dietitians to support these women in making healthy dietary changes. Results Four opportunities for dietitians to support pregnant women in making dietary changes could be discerned: (1) creating awareness of healthy and unhealthy eating patterns, (2) providing reliable and personally relevant information, (3) help identifying barriers and solutions for healthy eating and (4) making healthy eating manageable. Dietitians indicated that supporting pregnant women with a low socio-economic status in consuming a healthy diet requires the investment of sufficient time, effort and money. Conclusions Dietitians are trained and well-equipped to provide extensive support to pregnant women to promote a healthy dietary intake, especially when the complex interplay of barriers that pregnant women with a low socio-economic status experience for healthy eating needs to be addressed. In addition, there is a strong need for strengthening the collaboration between dietitians and midwives because midwives are the primary care provider for pregnant women in the Netherlands, but they often lack sufficient opportunities to provide adequate nutrition support. Strengthening this collaboration could promote that nutrition becomes a recurring and standard topic in antenatal care.
Background Although the importance of maternal nutrition is evident, adherence to dietary guidelines is limited in pregnant women, especially in those with a low socioeconomic status. Promotion of a healthy diet in midwifery practice is promising, as prenatal diet affects both maternal and child health, pregnant women are open to dietary changes during this critical transition, and midwives are their first and most important source of information. Unfortunately, nutrition communication by Dutch midwives is limited. Objective The objective of this study is to optimize the dietary intake of low–socioeconomic status pregnant women by contributing to the further development and adjustment of a tool or toolbox to support midwives in providing nutrition communication. Methods This interdisciplinary, mixed-methods study includes 2 phases, in which quantitative and qualitative research are complementary. In phase 1, we will conduct a literature study and interviews to gain insight into midwives’ knowledge, needs, and practice. We will obtain data on the dietary intake of low–socioeconomic status pregnant women and factors influencing this intake from another literature study, an interviewer-administered meal-based food frequency questionnaire, and qualitative interviews with pregnant women. We will identify the availability of suitable tools to improve pregnant women’s dietary intake from the literature, interviews, focus groups, and expert meetings. In phase 2, we shall adapt an existing tool or develop a new tool(box), depending on the results of phase 1, and implement it in 5 midwifery practices. Ultimately, a process evaluation will provide insight into barriers and facilitating factors playing a role in the implementation of the tool(box). Results The main outcome of this study will be a tool(box) to optimize the dietary intake of Dutch pregnant women. We anticipate that the developed or adjusted tool(s) will be available in February 2020. After we implement the tool(s) and evaluate the implementation process, the final results should be available by February 2021. Conclusions This study is scientifically and socially relevant, as we will study low–socioeconomic status pregnant women’s contextual dietary intake in-depth from an ecological perspective on health. The results obtained will lead to recommendations for multidisciplinary strategies to promote a healthy maternal dietary intake in low–socioeconomic status populations. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/14796
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