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Iron and folate status was assessed in 79 multiparous French women and 21 immigrant parturient women, previously defined as belonging to a high risk population for nutritional deficiencies, and their newborn infants. Maternal hemoglobin was correlated with ferritinemia and with serum folate values; weight gain during pregnancy appeared to be correlated with mother's iron status at start of labour and gestation duration with folate status. The need of iron and folic supplementation is emphasized for such groups. While a correlation appeared between maternal and newborn values for serum and red blood cell folates and for the RBC indices, no statistical difference was found between the infants born to iron or folate deficient mothers when compared with others.