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Objective: To (i) determine differences in the availability of variety of fruits and vegetables (F&V) at home by food security status; and (ii) examine the inter-associations between food security status, availability of variety of F&V at home and frequency of F&V intake, among low-income pregnant women. Design/Setting Participants were interviewed to collect food security status, home availability of variety of F&V and frequency of F&V intake. Bivariate analyses, multivariate regression and exploratory mediation analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0 and the PROCESS macro.Subjects: Low-income pregnant women (n 198) were interviewed if they were ≥18 years of age, in the second trimester of pregnancy, and spoke English or Spanish.Results: Low/very low food security was found among 43 % of participants. Compared with fully food-secure participants, very low food-secure participants reported a lower variety of fruits (P=0·028) and vegetables (P=0·058) available at home. Mediation analyses indicated that through home availability of variety of fresh F&V, food security status was associated with the daily intake of F&V (indirect effect (95 % CI): fresh fruits, -0·039 (-0·074, -0·013); fresh vegetables, -0·048 (-0·083, -0·023)). As food security worsened, the available variety of fresh F&V decreased, which was associated with lower intake.Conclusions: The study highlights the interlink between food security, home food environment and diet quality, and the importance of nutrition education intervention to promote a healthy home food environment and improved pregnancy outcomes among low-income women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-income women were interviewed and their post-natal records were retrieved (n= 160) to assess prevalence of excess gestational weight gain and its socio-demographic predictors. More than half of the women (64%) gained excess weight during pregnancy, with an average of 10 lbs in excess of Institute of Medicine guidelines. Logistic regression indicated that women that started pregnancy at an obese body mass index; who were African American or having an unplanned pregnancy were at significant risk of gaining excess weight in pregnancy. Intervention to prevent excess weight gain during pregnancy is critical in addressing obesity epidemic in the United States and worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: One of the major federal food assistance programs, the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), serves approximately 1.5 million low-income pregnant women per year; however, limited information is available on their dietary habits. This is critical because low-income women are at higher risk of gaining excess weight during pregnancy. Thus, the study objectives were to (1) determine the overall diet quality of WIC pregnant women and (2) examine diet quality and eating behaviors by race/ethnicity and other sociodemographics.Design: This was a cross-sectional study.Setting: One of the 3 WIC offices in a north-central county in North Carolina, USA.Sample: Pregnant women (n = 198) in the second trimester.Measures: Interviews included sociodemographics, food security, diet, and eating behaviors. Diet quality was assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010 scores.Analysis: Descriptives, bivariate analysis, and multivariate analysis.Results: Average participant age was 26 years, and the mean HEI-2010 score was 56 of maximum score of 100. Specifically, African American women consumed significantly lower servings of whole grains (β = -1.71; 95% CI: -3.10 to -0.32; P < .05) and dairy (β = -1.42; 95% CI: -2.51 to -0.33; P < .05) compared with non-Hispanic white women. Hispanic women scored higher in daily intake of fruits (β = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.17-1.79; P < .05) and for consuming empty calories in moderation (β = 1.57; 95% CI: 0.06-3.09; P < .05). Frequency of intake of fast foods/outside meals was higher among African American women (57%, P = .025).Conclusion: Efforts are warranted to promote optimal nutrition among WIC pregnant women. Specifically, African American women are highly vulnerable to poor dietary habits during pregnancy. Further investigation of barriers/facilitators for healthy eating is necessary to address nutrition disparities among WIC pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an exploratory study, a convenience sample of 148 pregnant women was recruited from a WIC clinic in the southeast region of the U.S. to: 1) Examine and compare daily nutrient and food group intakes of WIC pregnant women to national guidelines, and; 2) Determine racial/ethnic differences in nutrient and food group intakes among WIC pregnant women. Women were selected for the study if they were: ≥ 18 y, in 2nd trimester of pregnancy, and if they spoke English or Spanish as a first language. Upon recruitment, participants were interviewed to collect information on their socio-demographics, including race/ethnicity. Additionally, 24-h diet recalls were conducted to collect information on average nutrient and food groups intakes of participants during pregnancy. Of the total participants, more than half self-identified as African American (59%), while the remaining reported being Hispanic (20%) and non-Hispanic White (22%). For nutrient intakes, women consumed folate, iron, and potassium below recommended amounts. In contrast, sodium was consumed above the recommendations for pregnancy. For food groups, intake of fruits and whole grains was limited. In comparison by race/ethnicity, specifically it was found that African American women were consuming higher amounts of carbohydrates, but lower amounts of potassium, vitamin A, and fiber in reference to non-minority group of non-Hispanic Whites. While, Hispanic women were consuming lower amounts of added sugar and animal protein than non-Hispanic Whites. Findings highlight the importance of prenatal nutrition education programs and interventions to improve dietary habits of low-income, racial/ethnic minority women. Inter-racial and ethnic differences exist in dietary intake patterns among low-income pregnant women, with African American women being at an increased risk for poor dietary habits and inability to meet nutrient requirements for pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]