Research indicates that although requirements for key nutrients increase during pregnancy, women commonly have dietary intakes that don't meet these key nutrients.
Moreover, due to public health nutrition advice about reducing exposure to food borne illness, such as Listeria Monocytogenes, pregnant women are also potentially compromising their diet quality due to the avoidance of many nutrient-rich foods that are known to harbour Listeria Monocytogenes.
Poor dietary patterns during pregnany increase the risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and child. A meta-analysis across 18 studies found that pregnant women with higher intakes of vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains and fish, had up to 25% lower odds of adverse outcomes including gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia and pre-term birth.
This study will evaluate diet quality, food patterns, nutrient intakes and Listeria Monocytogenes risk scores of women in the ORIGINS cohort, to identify dietary intakes that optimise nutrition-related health and pregnancy outcomes, infant outcomes and healthcare utlisation.
Researchers anticipate that this project will contribute to the development of contemporary dietary advice that all women optimise their dietary intake in the future.
The aims of this study are as such:
- To evaluate the dietary intakes of pregnant women during the antenatal period and post birth against the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) recommendations and evaluate the predictors of meeting the AGHE recommendations.
- To evaluate the associations between maternal diet quality and Listeria Monocytogenes risk during pregnancy and maternal, infant and childhood health outcomes and healthcare utilisation.
- Maternal outcomes: BMI, gestational weight gain, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, length of hospital stay, admission to intensive care, length of stay in intensive care
- Infant outcomes: liveborn/stillborn, foetal growth restriction, birthweight, body fat percentage, fat mass, body mass, gestational age at birth (pre-term birth), length of hospital stay, admission to special care nursery, length of stay in special care nursery
- Childhood outcomes (3 years & 5 years): body composition, growth, blood pressure, food allergies
- To cost maternal and infant healthcare resource use in the perinatal period associated with maternal diet quality and Listeria Monocytogenes risk during pregnancy.
- To evaluate the association between improved diet quality during pregnancy (18-36 weeks) and pregnancy outcomes and healthcare utilisation.
Investigators
- Laureate Professor Clare Collins at the University of Newcastle
- Dr Poonam Pannu, Research Officer at ORIGINS
- Dr Sasha Fenton at the University of Newcastle
- Dr Rachael Taylor at the University of Newcastle
- Dr Melinda Hutchesson at the University of Newcastle
- Kaylee Slater, PhD Student at the University of Newcastle
- June Ooi, PhD Student at the University of Newcastle