Pregnant Adolescent and Adult Women have Similarly Low intakes of Selected Nutrients
Section snippets
Subjects
Subjects were participants in a larger randomized, double-blind clinical trial designed to study if the calcium intake recommended during pregnancy is sufficient to provide for the calcium requirements of adolescent pregnancy. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Children's Hospital Medical Center. Pregnant subjects were recruited from the prenatal clinics at The University Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, and classified
Results
Of the 97 adolescents and 115 adults enrolled in the larger calcium trial, 59 (61%) adolescents and 97 (84%) adults were included in our sample. Thirty-two (33%) adolescents and 17 (15%) adults were excluded because they had not reached the time in their pregnancy for the second food record. The rate of return for food records was 86% in the teen population and 89% in the adult population. A total of 7 food records were excluded because of incomplete data (6 adolescents, 1 adult).
Discussion
This study examined the dietary intake of pregnant adolescents at specific time points during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, using 7-day food records, a tool found to have increased sensitivity to variations in nutrient intake patterns (15), (16). We also compared the nutrient intake of a pregnant adolescent sample with that of pregnant adults. There were no differences in mean energy and nutrient values between the second and third trimester within our sample. This allowed us to
Applications
■ Low nutrient intakes exist in the diets of the pregnant adults and pregnant adolescents, indicating a continued need to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women and to implement guidance that focuses on food sources of the nutrients found to be limited in their diets, including calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, fiber, folate, vitamin D, and vitamin E. Incorporating more dairy products, whole grains, fortified cereals, fruits, and vegetables into meals and snacks would improve the dietary
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