Impact of nutrition education on food and nutrient intake of pregnant women.

PIP: Researchers compared data on 33 pregnant women attending nutrition education classes regularly over a 13-week period (nutrition education group) with data on 33 other pregnant women who did not receive such education (controls) to examine the impact of nutrition education on the pregnant women's food and nutrient intake. The 66 pregnant women were selected from two hospitals and two urban family welfare centers in Ludhiana city, India. All were from the low socioeconomic group (i.e., per capita income of Rs. 369/month). A dietary survey was conducted at 20 weeks gestation and again at 36 weeks gestation. At 20 weeks, the two groups were not statistically different. The intake of cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables, fats and oils, and sugar and jagger were lower than the recommended daily intake (RDI). On the other hand, intake was more than RDI for milk and milk products, other vegetables, and roots and tubers. Except thiamine and ascorbic acid, intake of nutrients was inadequate. In both the nutrition education group and the control group, nutrient intake was higher at 36 weeks than at 20 weeks due to the increased food requirements of pregnancy. Women in the nutrition education group were more likely than the control group to consume more protein, vitamin A, thiamine, folic acid, and vitamin C. This likely reflects a higher consumption of pulses, milk and milk products, fruits, and vegetables as well as adopting favorable nutritional practices (e.g., use of sprouted grains). Nevertheless, intake was below RDIs for many nutrients, even for women in the nutrition education group. These findings suggest that nutrition education for pregnant women does improve nutrient intake but also that more needs to be done to bring intake levels up even higher.^ieng