Associations between Maternal Dietary Patterns and Infant Birth Weight in the NISAMI Cohort: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Abstract

The mother’s diet during pregnancy is associated with maternal and child health. However, there are few studies with moderation analysis on maternal dietary patterns and infant birth weight. We aim to analyse the association between dietary patterns during pregnancy and birth weight. A prospective cohort study was performed with pregnant women registered with the prenatal service (Bahia, Brazil). A food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate dietary intake. Birth weight was measured by a prenatal service team. Statistical analyses were performed using factor analysis with a principal component extraction technique and structural equation modelling. The mean age of the pregnant women was 27 years old (SD: 5.5) and the mean birth weight was 3341.18 g. It was observed that alcohol consumption (p = 0.05) and weight-gain during pregnancy (p = 0.05) were associated with birth weight. Four patterns of dietary consumption were identified for each trimester of the pregnancy evaluated. Adherence to the “Meat, Eggs, Fried Snacks and Processed foods” dietary pattern (pattern 1) and the “Sugars and Sweets” dietary pattern (pattern 4) in the third trimester directly reduced birth weight, by 98.42 g (Confidence interval (CI) 95%: 24.26, 172.59) and 92.03 g (CI 95%: 39.88, 165.30), respectively. It was also observed that insufficient dietary consumption in the third trimester increases maternal complications during pregnancy, indirectly reducing birth weight by 145 g (CI 95%: −21.39, −211.45). Inadequate dietary intake in the third trimester appears to have negative results on birth weight, directly and indirectly, but more studies are needed to clarify these causal paths, especially investigations of the influence of the maternal dietary pattern on the infant gut microbiota and the impacts on perinatal outcomes.

Processed Dietary Patterns during Pregnancy Are Associated with Low Birth Weight at Term among Women of Advanced and Non-Advanced Age

“…Our study's findings suggest that pregnant women should avoid imbalanced-excessive or deficient-food consumption. In other words, healthy living habits with a varied dietary intake, specifically qualitatively balanced nutrients and energy that meet pregnancy-related nutritional needs, aid in the satisfactory adaptation of maternal physiology and the adequate growth and development of the fetus [2]. We observed a significant negative association between maternal age and LBW when the maternal age was over 35, which is consistent with the findings of a previous study on women in China [16].…”

“…To prevent preterm and low birthweight infants, particularly among older women, education about appropriate nutrition is key to maintaining a normal BMI. In addition, balanced weight and adequate vitamin and mineral intake are vital for ensuring that pregnant women are healthy and for reducing risks to newborns [2,36,40]. In this sense, maintaining healthy eating habits is a requirement both before and during gestation.…”

“…A processed dietary pattern refers to behaviors that favor savory, fried, and processed food products that contain high levels of saturated fat, free sugars, sodium, and trans-fats, such as baked goods, savory snacks, sauces, dressings, and condiments [1], which have a negative effect on the health of the individual and can also adversely affect the birth weight of infants [2]. In Taiwan, as in other countries, socioeconomic changes are related to changes in dietary patterns [3] that are associated with a reduction in daily calorie consumption, higher consumption of unsaturated fats, added sugar, and processed foods, and lower consumption of fruits and vegetables [4].…”

Post-partum weight retention in Northeastern Brazilian women: a prospective NISAMI cohort study

“…The results of this study are consistent with those of other studies conducted using different methodologies and populations, including those done in Brazil. 9 , 11 …”

Dietary and Nutrient Intake, Eating Habits, and Its Association with Maternal Gestational Weight Gain and Offspring’s Birth Weight in Pregnant Adolescents

“…Sugar-sweetened beverages consumption was associated with SGA. There is insufficient evidence to identify possible causal mechanisms to explain the association between maternal consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and birth weight outcomes [ 63 , 64 , 65 ]. Therefore, our findings should be interpreted with caution.…”