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. 2020 Apr 21;19(1):36.
doi: 10.1186/s12937-020-00553-9.

Dietary patterns and their associations with gestational weight gain in the United Arab Emirates: results from the MISC cohort

Leila Itani  1 , Hadia Radwan  2 , Mona Hashim  2   3 , Hayder Hasan  2 , Reyad Shaker Obaid  2 , Hessa Al Ghazal  4 , Marwa Al Hilali  5 , Rana Rayess  2 , Hamid Jan Jan Mohamed  3 , Rena Hamadeh  6 , Hiba Al Rifai  6 , Farah Naja  7
Affiliations

Dietary patterns and their associations with gestational weight gain in the United Arab Emirates: results from the MISC cohort

Leila Itani et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Background: Suboptimum weight gain during pregnancy may carry long term health consequences for the infant or mother. Nutritional imbalances are well recognized as a determinant of gestational weight gain. Few studies examined the effect of dietary patterns on gestational weight gain, especially in countries undergoing nutrition transition, such as the United Arab Emirates.

Objectives: To characterize dietary patterns among pregnant women living in the UAE and examine their associations with gestational weight gain and gestational weight rate.

Methodology: Data were drawn from the Mother-Infant Study Cohort, a two-year prospective cohort study of pregnant women living in the United Arab Emirates, recruited during their third trimester (n = 242). Weight gain during pregnancy was calculated using data from medical records. The Institute of Medicine's recommendations were used to categorize gestational weight gain and gestational weight gain rate into insufficient, adequate, and excessive. During face-to-face interviews, dietary intake was assessed using an 89-item culture-specific semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire that referred to usual intake during pregnancy. Dietary patterns were derived by principal component analysis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations of derived dietary patterns with gestational weight gain/gestational weight gain rate.

Results: Two dietary patterns were derived, a "Diverse" and a "Western" pattern. The "Diverse" pattern was characterized by higher intake of fruits, vegetables, mixed dishes while the "Western" pattern consisted of sweets and fast food. The "Western" pattern was associated with excessive gestational weight gain (OR:4.04,95% CI:1.07-15.24) and gestational weight gain rate (OR: 4.38, 95% CI:1.28-15.03) while the "Diverse" pattern decreased the risk of inadequate gestational weight gain (OR:0.24, 95% CI:0.06-0.97) and gestational weight gain rate (OR:0.28, 95% CI:0.09-0.90).

Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that adherence to a "Diverse" pattern reduced the risk of insufficient gestational weight gain/gestational weight gain rate, while higher consumption of the "Western" pattern increased the risk of excessive gestational weight gain/gestational weight gain rate. In view of the established consequences of gestational weight gain on the health of the mother and child, there is a critical need for health policies and interventions to promote a healthy lifestyle eating through a life course approach.

Keywords: Dietary patterns; Gestational weight gain; Gestational weight gain rate; Nutrient intake; Social determinants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The scree plot showing the inflection point at two factors
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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