Determinants of pregnancy outcome and newborn behavior of a semirural Egyptian population

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 54; no. 4; pp. 657 - 667
• Main Authors: Kirksey, A, Rahmanifar, A, Wachs, TD, McCabe, GP, Bassily, NS, Bishry, Z, Galal, OM, Harrison, GG, Jerome, NW
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.10.1991; American Society for Clinical Nutrition
• Subjects: Adult; Anthropometry; bebes; behaviour; Biological and medical sciences; Birth Weight; body measurements; comportamiento; comportement; corps gras; Diet; dieta; Eating; Educational Status; egipto; Egypt; egypte; energia; energie; energy; Energy Intake; enfant en bas age; fats; Female; femme; food intake; gestacion; gestation; gestation period; Gestational Age; grasas; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; habituation; Habituation, Psychophysiologic; human nutrition; Humans; Infant, Newborn - physiology; Infant, Newborn - psychology; infants; ingestion de alimentos; Longitudinal Studies; madre; Management. Prenatal diagnosis; Maternal Age; Medical sciences; medicion del cuerpo; mensuration corporelle; mere; mothers; mujeres; neonatal behavior; nutricion humana; nutrition humaine; Nutritional Status; orientation; Parity; periode de gestation; periodo de gestacion; peso; peso al nacimiento; poids; poids a la naissance; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; prise alimentaire; proteinas; proteine; proteins; regime alimentaire; Regression Analysis; rural areas; Rural Population; Socioeconomic Factors; weight; Weight Gain; women; zonas rurales; zone rurale; Africa; Egypt; Pregnancy; neonatal behavior; birth weight; orientation; habituation; anthropometry; gestational age; Human; Prognosis; Socioeconomic status; Statistical study; Weight gain; Gestational age; Newborn; Mother; Diet; Female; Birth weight; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/54.4.657

Several potential determinants of birth weight and neonatal behavioral organization, ie, maternal anthropometry, food intake (energy, protein, and plant- and animal-source foods), morbidity, and household socioeconomic status, were followed systematically in a semirural Egyptian population during ≥ 6 mo of pregnancy. In early pregnancy mothers were generally normal weight to moderately overweight. Their mean energy intake, largely from plant sources, was ∼8.37 MJ/d (2000 kcal/d) during trimesters 2 and 3. Early (3 mo) pregnancy weight and weight gain during trimesters 2 and 3 were significantly positively related to birth weight Z scores. The best predictor model examined for birth weight included early pregnancy weight, weight gain, and length of gestation (R2= 0.45). Early pregnancy weight and maternal intake of animal-source foods were significant positive predictors of the newborn's orientation and habituation behavior, respectively. Habituation and orientation measures assess the infant's early ability to process information.