PRENATAL-CARE AND SEA FISH

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a prenatal nutritional counsell ing programme about the benefits of increasing dietary intake of sea f ish. Study design: A hospital and parity matched observational compari son study. Four-hundred ninety-nine pregnant women, attending selected clinics for antenatal care, before 20 weeks gestation, were offered a 20-min nutritional advice session. They were encouraged to increase t he intake of oily sea fish and reduce intake of food rich in transfatt y acid. For each woman interviewed a corresponding control was establi shed. Main results: The mean birth weight was slightly higher in the s tudy group (3349 g vs. 3284 g) and the difference persisted after adju sting for gestational age (85 g/week vs. 83 g/week). The rate of deliv ery before 37 weeks was lower in the study group (7.3% versus; 9.5%). The mean neonatal head circumference was greater in the study group (3 4.7 cm vs. 34.4 cm). Conclusion: The effect of advice to increase inta ke of oily fish warrants further study.