Geographical variations in maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy associated with birth weight in Shaanxi province, Northwestern China

PLoS One. 2021 Jul 22;16(7):e0254891. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254891. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The geographical variation of maternal dietary patterns related to birth outcomes is important for improving the health of mothers and children; however, it is currently unknown. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate geographical variations of maternal dietary pattern during pregnancy, and evaluate the spatial varying association of maternal dietary patterns in pregnancy with abnormal birth weight. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Shaanxi province in Northwest China in 2013 to evaluate the relationship between abnormal birth weight and dietary pattern using the Geographically Weighted Logistic Regression (GWLR). Three dietary patterns during pregnancy were extracted through factor analysis, explaining approximately 45.8% of the variability of food intake. Approximately 81.6% of mothers with higher scores on the equilibrium pattern was more unlikely to have small for gestational age (SGA) infants, with the lower OR observed in Central and South Shaanxi. The snacks pattern was positively associated with low birth weight (LBW) for 23.2% of participants, with the highest OR in Central Shaanxi. Among about 80.0% of participants with higher scores on the snacks pattern living in South and Central Shaanxi, there was a higher risk for SGA. The OR values tend to descend from South to North Shaanxi. The OR values of the negative association between prudent pattern and LBW decreased from South to North Shaanxi among approximately 59.3% of participants. The prudent pattern was also negatively associated with the increasing risk of fetal macrosomia among 19.2% of participants living mainly in South Shaanxi. The association of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy with abnormal birth weight varied geographically across Shaanxi province. The findings emphasize the importance of geographical distribution to improve the dietary patterns among disadvantaged pregnant women.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Birth Weight*
  • China / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Fetal Macrosomia / epidemiology*
  • Food Preferences*
  • Humans
  • Infant, Low Birth Weight*
  • Infant, Small for Gestational Age*
  • Pregnancy

Grants and funding

The study was supported by National Natural Science of Foundation of China (No. 81602928, 81541069) and Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (No. 2017JM8102). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We certify that all authors have not financial interest related to the work of this paper. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Meanwhile, there are no prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information, including studies and patients. We have reviewed the final version of the manuscript and approve it for publication. To the best of our knowledge and belief, this manuscript has not been published in whole or in part nor is it being considered for publication elsewhere.