The Association of Maternal Social Class with Maternal Diet and the Dimensions of Babies in a Population of London Women

Records of the diets of 513 London mothers towards the end of the first trimester of pregnancy have been reported previously to show the maternal nutritional intakes associated with birthweight in the optimum range, which may be assumed to approximate to basic maternal needs for reproduction. The diets associated with low birthweight and small head size were also recorded and were found to be inferior. The present paper shows social class gradients for baby size and 35 essential dietary components, providing an indication of which basic maternal nutritional needs were not always met. There was no social class gradient for intake of total energy, or the energy carriers carbohydrate and fat. There were, however, statistically highly significant social class gradients for intake of protein, seven minerals and six B-vitamins, all of which were also highly significantly correlated with birthweight. Maternal intake of these 14 components of diet fell progressively as birthweight fell, but only for the mothers of smaller babies below 3270g, the median for the study. Further increase of maternal intakes of any nutrient by mothers whose babies were above median did not apparently further increase birthweight. The social and medical problem presented by maternal nutrition is that of a minority of women who enter pregnancy with qualitatively inadequate nutritional status. This minority is found in all social classes but increases from social class I to V, and further still among single mothers. The women comprising this minority eat foods not meeting basic maternal needs for a range of nutrients characteristic of whole grains, vegetables and fruit and dairy produce, which may partly be explained by their high cost.

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Hair cortisol levels in pregnancy as a possible determinant of fetal sex: a longitudinal study

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174420001300 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Borja Romero-Gonzalez ◽

Jose A. Puertas-Gonzalez ◽

Raquel Gonzalez-Perez ◽

Marta Davila ◽

Maria Isabel Peralta-Ramirez

Keyword(s):

Low Birthweight ◽

First Trimester ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Negative Results ◽

Stress Vulnerability ◽

Biological Stress ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽

Prenatal Distress ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Stress during pregnancy has been widely studied and associated to different variables, usually with negative results for the health of the mother and the newborn, such as having a higher risk of suffering postpartum depression, premature birth, obstetrics complications or low birthweight, among others. However, there are not many lines of research that study the role that the sex of the baby plays on this specific stress and vice versa. Thus, the main objective was to analyse the relationship between the sex of the offspring and the stress of the mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy. In order to achieve this, 108 women had their biological stress measured (trough hair cortisol levels) and psychological stress evaluated (the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PDQ) and the Stress Vulnerability Inventory (IVE)). The results revealed significant differences in maternal hair cortisol levels in the first trimester based on the sex of the baby they had given birth to (t = −2.04; P < 0.05): the concentration of the hormone was higher if the baby was a girl (164.36:54.45-284.87 pg/mg) than if it was a boy (101.13:37.95-193.56 pg/mg). These findings show that the sex of the future baby could be conditioned, among many other variables, by the mother´s stress levels during conception and first weeks of pregnancy. Further research is needed in this area to support our findings.

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Maternal diet quality before pregnancy and risk of childhood leukaemia

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114516003469 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 116 (8) ◽

pp. 1469-1478 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Amanda W. Singer ◽

Suzan L. Carmichael ◽

Steve Selvin ◽

Cecilia Fu ◽

Gladys Block ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diet Quality ◽

Maternal Nutrition ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Maternal Diet ◽

Conditional Logistic Regression ◽

Childhood Leukaemia ◽

Dietary Components ◽

The Relationship ◽

Control Study

AbstractPrevious studies on maternal nutrition and childhood leukaemia risk have focused on the role of specific nutrients such as folate and have not considered broader measures of diet quality, which may better capture intake of diverse nutrients known to impact fetal development. We examined the relationship between maternal diet quality before pregnancy, as summarised by a diet quality index, and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in a case–control study in California. Dietary intake in the year before pregnancy was assessed using FFQ in 681 ALL cases, 103 AML cases and 1076 matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate OR and 95 % CI for diet quality continuous score and quartiles (Q1–Q4). Higher maternal diet quality score was associated with reduced risk of ALL (OR 0·66; 95 % CI 0·47, 0·93 for Q4v.Q1) and possibly AML (OR 0·42; 95 % CI 0·15, 1·15 for Q4v.Q1). No single index component appeared to account for the association. The association of maternal diet quality with risk of ALL was stronger in children diagnosed under the age of 5 years and in children of women who did not report using vitamin supplements before pregnancy. These findings suggest that the joint effects of many dietary components may be important in influencing childhood leukaemia risk.

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Gestational Exposure to Toxicants and Autistic Behaviors using Bayesian Quantile Regression

American Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/aje/kwab065 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joshua D Alampi ◽

Bruce P Lanphear ◽

Joseph M Braun ◽

Aimen Chen ◽

Tim K Takaro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantile Regression ◽

Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽

First Trimester ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Environmental Chemicals ◽

Social Responsiveness ◽

Bayesian Quantile Regression ◽

The Social ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽

Autistic Behaviors

Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is characterized by impaired social communication and stereotypic behaviors, affects 1-2% of children. While prenatal exposure to toxicants has been associated with autistic behaviors, most studies have focused on shifts in mean behavior scores. We used Bayesian quantile regression to assess the associations between log2-transformed toxicant concentrations and autistic behaviors across the distribution of behaviors. We used data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals study, a pan-Canadian cohort (2008-2011). We measured metal, pesticide, polychlorinated biphenyl, phthalate, bisphenol-A, and triclosan concentrations in blood or urine samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Autistic behaviors were assessed in 478 3-4-year-old children using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), where higher scores denote more autistic-like behaviors. Lead, cadmium, and most phthalate metabolites were associated with mild increases in SRS scores at the 90th percentile of the SRS distribution. Manganese and some pesticides were associated with mild decreases in SRS scores at the 90th percentile of the SRS distribution. We identified several monotonic trends where associations increased in magnitude from the bottom to the top of the SRS distribution. These results suggest that Quantile regression can reveal nuanced relationships and should thus be more widely used by epidemiologists.

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Stress and Anxiety Levels in Pregnant and Post-Partum Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17249450 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (24) ◽

pp. 9450

Author(s):

Anna Stepowicz ◽

Barbara Wencka ◽

Jan Bieńkiewicz ◽

Wojciech Horzelski ◽

Mariusz Grzesiak

Keyword(s):

Post Partum ◽

First Trimester ◽

State Trait Anxiety Inventory ◽

Stress Scale ◽

Informal Relationship ◽

The Social ◽

Hospital Stays ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽

Anxiety Levels ◽

Mental Treatment

The aim of this study was to analyze stress and anxiety levels experienced by pregnant and post-partum women during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to indicate the social and medical factors that could contribute to stress and anxiety. A total of 210 patients were enrolled in the study. Two well-established test-tools were applied: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The study revealed that the levels of stress and anxiety experienced by the surveyed patients were moderate to high. We demonstrated that women with mental treatment history, those in the first trimester of pregnancy and the ones that are single or in an informal relationship tend to experience higher levels of psychological distress and anxiety. Such factors as age, education, parity, eventful obstetric history, comorbidities, and the number of hospital stays proved to be statistically insignificant in the analysis. Our findings could be used to identify patients at greater risk of experiencing adverse mental effects and to provide them with adequate psychological support. Further multi-center studies are warranted in order to draw final conclusions.

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Maternal nutrition in early pregnancy

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn19770115 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 497-506 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

R. W. Smithells ◽

Carol Ankers ◽

Margaret E. Carver ◽

Dorothy Lennon ◽

C. J. Schorah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Security ◽

Early Pregnancy ◽

Maternal Age ◽

Maternal Nutrition ◽

First Trimester ◽

Social Classes ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Department Of Health ◽

Dietary Records ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy

1. Mean daily nutrient intakes of 195 women in the first trimester of pregnancy were assessed by weighed dietary records.2. In comparison with recommended intakes for non-pregnant women aged 18-55 years (Department of Health and Social Security, (1969), more than two-thirds of the subjects were having insufficient energy, iron and cholecalciferol. Unsatisfactory intakes of other nutrients were not uncommon. In relation to recom mended intakes for the second trimester Department of Health and Social Security, (1969), all mothers were having insufficient cholecalciferol and more than 80 % of mothers had unsatisfactory intakes of energy and Fe.3. Intakes appreciably lower than those recommended were associated with the following factors: social classes III, IV and V; maternal age under 20 years; smoking ten or more cigarettes daily; vomiting on more than 3 d/week.

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Weight-for-Height as a Measure of Nutritional Status in Filipino Pregnant Women

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/101053958800200204 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 96-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

JA Magbitang ◽

JBM Tangco ◽

EO de laCruz ◽

EG Flores ◽

FE Guanlao

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Low Birthweight ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

First Trimester ◽

Risk Indicator ◽

Low Birth Weight Babies ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽

The Subject ◽

Potential Use

A weight-for-height table by week of pregnancy for Filipinos was developed and its potential use in identifying mothers at risk of delivering low birth-weight babies was tested. The table derived from the weight-for-height table for adult Filipinos developed by de Leon et al assumed the following: 1). Average increase in weight during pregnancy is 20% of pre-pregnant weight, with an increase of 1.7% of pre-pregnant weight in the first trimester of pregnancy and the remaining 18.3% increase achieved during the second and third trimesters. 2). The pre-pregnant weight of the subject equals the standard reference for her height. The derived table was subsequently tested on existing data on 158 urban and rural pregnant women sampled by Magbitang et al2and Baltazar et al.3Results showed that pregnant women whose weight at first visit was below 95% of the proposed standard had twice as much risk of delivering low birthweight babies than those whose weights were greater than or equal to 95% of the proposed standard. The table can be used by barangay level workers as a risk indicator for screening mothers at risk of delivering low birthweight babies so that appropriate and timely preventive measures can be taken.

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Low Birthweight in Women with Vitamin D Deficiency

10.53350/pjmhs2115102829 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 2829-2830

Author(s):

Maria Ahmad Khan ◽

Uzma Shaheen ◽

Farah Naz ◽

Saba .

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Vitamin D Deficiency ◽

Low Birthweight ◽

First Trimester ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

First Trimester Of Pregnancy ◽

Age Range

Objective: to record the rate of low birth weight in pregnant women with vitamin D deficiency Methodology: We enrolled 120 pregnant women having <30ng/mL serum level of 25(OH)D during first trimester of pregnancy. These cases were enrolled from Deptt. of Obstet & Gynaecol, Nishter Hospital, Multan. The age range was reproductive age group with any parity and 37-40weeks of gestation. The levels of 25(OH)D were evaluated through hospital laboratory whereas these cases were followed till delivery with routine treatment of Vitamin D deficiency. Birth weight of the neonate i.e. weight<2.5kg was considered as low birth weight neonates Results: Frequency of vitamin D deficiency in low birth weight neonates was 40.83%(n=49) Conclusion: We concluded that the frequency of low birth weight is higher among pregnant women with vitamin D deficiency. Keywords: Pregnant women, vitamin D deficiency, low birth weight

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