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. 2013 Aug;16(8):1390-402.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980013000293. Epub 2013 Mar 4.

Use of dietary supplements in pregnant women in relation to sociodemographic factors - a report from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study

Carin Andrén Aronsson  1 , Kendra Vehik, Jimin Yang, Ulla Uusitalo, Kristen Hay, Gesa Joslowski, Anne Riikonen, Lori Ballard, Suvi M Virtanen, Jill M Norris; TEDDY Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Use of dietary supplements in pregnant women in relation to sociodemographic factors - a report from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study

Carin Andrén Aronsson et al. Public Health Nutr. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence and associated factors of dietary supplement use, particularly supplements containing vitamin D and fatty acids, in pregnant women enrolled in a multi-national study.

Design: The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study is a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Maternal dietary supplement use was self-reported through questionnaires at month 3 to 4 postpartum.

Setting: Six clinical research centres; three in the USA (Colorado, Georgia/Florida and Washington) and three in Europe (Sweden, Finland and Germany).

Subjects: Mothers (n 7326) to infants screened for high-risk HLA-DQ genotypes of type 1 diabetes.

Results: Ninety-two per cent of the 7326 women used one or more types of supplement during pregnancy. Vitamin D supplements were taken by 65% of the women, with the highest proportion of users in the USA (80.5 %). Overall, 16% of the women reported taking fatty acid supplements and a growing trend was seen in all countries between 2004 and 2010 (P,0.0001). The use was more common in Germany (32 %) and the USA (24 %) compared with Finland (8.5%) and Sweden (7.0 %). Being pregnant with the first child was a strong predictor for any supplement use in all countries. Low maternal age (<25 years), higher education, BMI<=25.0 kg/m2 and smoking during pregnancy were factors associated with supplement use in some but not all countries.

Conclusions: The majority of the women used dietary supplements during pregnancy. The use was associated with sociodemographic and behavioural factors, such as parity, maternal age, education, BMI and maternal smoking.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Trends in reported intake of dietary supplements containing vitamin D ( formula image ) and fatty acids ( formula image ) during pregnancy between 2004 and 2010, by country: The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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