Nutritional awareness in pregnancy and obstetric outcomes: analysis of 400 cases

Purpose of the study is to describe the nutritional status and nutritional awareness in the population of pregnant women attending the delivery room of the Sant’Anna Hospital in Como, evaluate the correlation with the outcome of the pregnancy and understand how to direct corrective interventions in order to reduce the risk of complications.
An anonymous questionnaire identified with a unique code was distributed to 700 pregnant patients from the 28^th week of pregnancy to compare the outcomes at delivery. The questionnaire was structured based on the mindfulness eating score (MEQ) and the FIGO nutritional checklist. Maternal characteristics, nutritional status, emotional attitude and food awareness were analysed and correlated with the incidence of diabetes, hypertensive disorders, growth retardation, macrosomia and preterm birth.
400 questionnaires were analysed. 92% of the participants are Italian. 88% declare to follow a Mediterranean diet, but only 7.7% respect all the recommendations. Less-aware women have a 35% increased risk of excessive weight gain and a greater exposure to the risk of complications. In women with a BMI ≥ 30 the risk of complications is 1.82 times greater than BMI < 30.
Poor nutritional awareness is associated with inadequate diet, especially in obese patients. In this population there were more obstetric inductions and complications and a 1.41 times greater probability of being “less-aware” during pregnancy. Nutrition is a complex process that is not based exclusively on the intake of the correct nutrients but involves social, psychological and environmental factors. For this reason, considering nutritional awareness also becomes central.