Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jul 11;9(7):732.
doi: 10.3390/nu9070732.

The Influence of Maternal Dietary Patterns on Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain in Urban Black South African Women

Stephanie V Wrottesley  1 , Pedro T Pisa  2   3 , Shane A Norris  4
Affiliations

The Influence of Maternal Dietary Patterns on Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain in Urban Black South African Women

Stephanie V Wrottesley et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and subsequent gestational weight gain (GWG) are strong predictors of maternal and infant outcomes; however the influence of dietary patterns on BMI-specific GWG is unclear. This study identifies patterns of habitual dietary intake in urban South African women and explores their associations with first trimester BMI and GWG. Habitual dietary intake of 538 pregnant women was assessed using a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire and dietary patterns were depicted via principle component analysis. Associations between dietary patterns and BMI-specific GWG were analyzed using linear and logistic regression. Three dietary patterns were identified: Western, Traditional and Mixed. Western and Mixed diet patterns were associated with 35 g/week (p = 0.021) and 24 g/week (p = 0.041) higher GWG in normal weight and obese women respectively. Additionally, high intakes of a Traditional diet pattern were associated with a reduced odds of excessive weight gain in the total sample (OR: 0.81; p = 0.006) and in normal weight women (OR: 0.68; p = 0.003). Increased intake of a traditional diet pattern-high in whole grains, legumes, vegetables and traditional meats-and decreased intake of refined, high sugar and fat driven diets may reduce GWG (including risk of excessive weight gain) in urban South African women.

Keywords: body mass index; dietary patterns; gestational weight gain; urbanisation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

References

    1. Black R.E., Victora C.G., Walker S.P., Bhutta Z.A., Christian P., de Onis M., Ezzati M., Grantham-McGregor S., Katz J., Martorell R., et al. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet. 2013;382:427–451. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60937-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ruager-Martin R., Hyde M.J., Modi N. Maternal obesity and infant outcomes. Early Hum. Dev. 2010;86:715–722. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2010.08.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dennedy M.C., Dunne F. The maternal and fetal impacts of obesity and gestational diabetes on pregnancy outcome. Best Pract. Res. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2010;24:573–589. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2010.06.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leddy M.A., Power M.L., Schulkin J. The impact of maternal obesity on maternal and fetal health. Rev. Obstet. Gynecol. 2008;1:170–178. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Poston L., Caleyachetty R., Cnattingius S., Corvalán C., Uauy R., Herring S., Gillman M.W. Preconceptional and maternal obesity: Epidemiology and health consequences. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2016;4:1025–1036. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(16)30217-0. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources