Adequacy of Nutrients Intake among Jordanian Pregnant Women in Comparison to Dietary Reference Intakes

Abstract

Objective: Maternal nutrition is considered an important pillar in the pregnancy outcomes for both mother and infant. A mother’s malnutrition and inadequate nutrient intake is associated with many undesirable pregnancy outcomes. Hence, assessing the nutritional status of the mother in the early stages of the pregnancy and preventing any inadequacy can preclude many health problems for both mother and infant. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the adequacy of nutrient intakes among Jordanian pregnant women as compared to their corresponding dietary reference intakes (DRIs). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a major University Hospital in Jordan. Three hundred pregnant women were invited to participate in the study and 286 agreed to participate. Fifty pregnant women were enrolled at week 9, then 96 pregnant women were at week 20 and 137 pregnant women were at week 30 of pregnancy. The participants completed the interview-based demographic questionnaire, pregnancy physical activity questionnaire, and quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Results: The mean energy intake was 2768.9 ± 767.8 kcal/day and it was significantly higher in the 3rd trimester (p < 0.05). Women in the 3rd trimester consumed significantly more protein, carbohydrates, and sugar than women in the 1st and 2nd trimesters (p < 0.05). The pregnant women in the 3rd trimester consumed more sodium than women in the 1st and 2nd trimesters (p < 0.05). The vitamin K intake was significantly (p = 0.045) lower in the 2nd trimester than the 1st and 3rd trimesters. The calcium intake was significantly higher in the 3rd trimester than the 1st and 2nd trimesters (p = 0.021). The total micronutrient (vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, and D, calcium, and iron) intakes derived from dietary supplements and food sources throughout the 3 trimesters was significantly higher in the 3rd trimester than the 1st and 2nd trimesters (p < 0.05). The vitamin D, calcium, and iron intakes had the most significant increases between the 1st and 3rd trimesters (p < 0.001), while folic acid intake was significantly higher in the 1st trimester than the 2nd and 3rd trimester (p < 0.001). Most women exceeded the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for sodium in all trimesters, while 82% of women exceeded the UL of folic acid in the 1st trimester and from the supplement, not the diet. Conclusion: While the intake of some nutrients from food alone remains below the DRIs in the diets of pregnant women, the intake of other nutrients is above the UL. Raising the awareness of pregnant women about their diet and how a supplement intake can reduce the risk of inadequate intake for many micronutrients and improve their pregnancy outcomes is of great importance.

Utilization of a Diet Optimization Model in Ensuring Adequate Intake among Pregnant Women in Selangor, Malaysia

“…Only 48.7% of the subjects met the RNI requirements for energy intake. This is similar to a study conducted among Jordanian mothers [26]. However, it is higher as compared to results reported by Manaf et al where only 21.9% of the respondents achieved the RNI requirement for energy [27].…”

Food Group Intake of Pregnant Jordanian Women Based on the Three Pregnancy Trimesters

“…Our results showed that while the intake of fruit, vegetables, and dairy products were comparable between the three trimesters, there was a significant increase in consumption of grains during the third trimester compared with the first and second trimesters. This could be attributed to the higher energy and total carbohydrate intake of our study participants in the third trimester compared with the first and second trimesters, as previously reported by Tayyem et al (2019) . Our results are in agreement with Huybregts et al (2009) who reported that the mean intake of cereals is higher in the third trimester [+45.2 g; 95% CI: −0.5; 90.9] compared with the first and second trimesters.…”

“…A large proportion of the participants in the first (68.0%), second (72.9%), and third (63.6%) trimesters of pregnancy had a college degree or above. Furthermore, 50.0%, 61.5%, and 58.1% of participants, respectively, had normal BMIs; 6.3%, 5.2%, and 2.9%, respectively, were underweight; 33.3%, 28.1%, and 26.5%, respectively, were overweight; and 10.4%, 5.2%, and 12.5 %, respectively, were obese ( Tayyem et al, 2019 ).…”

Content Validation through Expert Judgement of an Instrument on the Nutritional Knowledge, Beliefs, and Habits of Pregnant Women

“…Other studies determine dietary knowledge and beliefs during pregnancy using food consumption surveys [65][66][67]. In the case of the present study, the aim is to validate a questionnaire based on nutritional knowledge and beliefs and not just based on food consumption with a quantitative approach.…”