Assessment of Eating Habits and Preconception and Gestational Nutritional Status of Women Who Attended the Prenatal Service of a Brazilian University Hospital

Abstract

Introduction
Adequate nutritional status should be seen as a fundamental point of prenatal care to avoid obstetric complications and promote
the baby’s health. This study aimed to compare prenatal body mass index (BMI) and BMI for gestational age (GA) and lifestyle
habits of high-risk and low-risk pregnant women at a Brazilian University Hospital.
Methodology
This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach using a questionnaire. Statistical analyzes were performed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. The significance level adopted was 5% (p<0.05).
Results
The present research involved 78 pregnant women, 51.3% of whom were low-risk. Most pregnant women (73.1%) did not practice
physical activity and, among those who did, most reported practicing between 2 and 3-hours per week of light activity. In
addition, most (57.7%) interviewees reported sleeping more than 7-hours a night. The pre-pregnancy BMI was adequate in only
34.6% of the patients, while 59% were overweight (overweight or obese); at the time of the interview, BMI for gestational age was
normal in only 28.2%, and 66.7% had a BMI reflecting overweight. Consumption of sweets during the week showed significant
variation: the high-risk group had a higher percentage of patients who did not consume sweets during the week (44.7%) compared
to the low-risk group (20%). Furthermore, while in the high-risk group, only 7.9% consumed sweets 5 to 7 times a week, 30% of
the low-risk group consumed sweets 5 to 7 times a week.
Conclusion
The evaluated pregnant women have a prevalence of excess weight of 66.6%, higher than that of Brazilian women (53.9%).
Comparison between preconception BMI and BMI for GA showed a tendency to persist in the pre-pregnancy classification; when
there was a change in the distribution of the BMI classification, this occurred with a reduction in the number of underweight,
eutrophic, and overweight women and an increase in the percentage of pregnant women with obesity. The diet, in general, was
sufficient in terms of micronutrients and fiber, but with high consumption of sweets by low-risk pregnant women. In addition,
the proportion of sedentary pregnant women is extremely high. Our study shows the importance of promoting healthy habits
during prenatal care to improve pregnant women’s nutritional diagnosis.