E. Petridou et al., DIET DURING PREGNANCY IN RELATION TO BIRTH-WEIGHT IN HEALTHY SINGLETONS, Child care health and development, 24(3), 1998, pp. 229-242
We have investigated the relationship between consumption of food grou
ps and intake of energy-generating macronutrients on the one hand, and
birthweight on the other among apparently healthy singleton, term bab
ies. Three hundred and sixty-eight women who delivered in six maternit
y clinics in two Greek cities during specified days over an 8-month pe
riod completed a 190-item, interviewer-administered, validated, semiqu
antitative food frequency questionnaire. Study participants also provi
ded information on sociodemographic, reproductive and lifestyle variab
les. Data were analysed using multiple regression modelling. Nutrition
al variables were energy-adjusted, and non-nutritional correlates of b
irthweight were accounted for. The analysis revealed most of the estab
lished non-nutritional associations of birthweight - an indication of
study validity. Among food groups, meat and meat products and fish and
sea food were suggestively associated with increased birthweight (two
tailed P-values 0.08 and 0.16, respectively). Among energy-generating
nutrients, monounsaturated fat was positively associated with birthwe
ight and significantly so in several of the models. We consider our fi
ndings are considered as compatible with hypotheses linking fish and m
eat intake to fetal growth and as indicative of a positive association
between intake of monounsaturated fat and birthweight.