Researchers Find Low Quality of Diet Among pregnant and Post-Partum Women - Video

New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds a pervasive low-quality diet among pregnant and postpartum individuals, reflecting “an urgent need for widespread improvement.”

The study, recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, assessed diet quality in the same individuals from the beginning of pregnancy through one year postpartum. Researchers used the USDA’s Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which is based on federal dietary guidelines, to develop a diet quality score for participants in the

Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study (PEAS).

The overall average Healthy Eating Index score for the study participants’ diets was ranked on a 0-100 scale at 61.6. On a traditional A-F scale, the grade would be barely passing, a D, although that score is 10% higher than the average Healthy Eating Index score of the overall U.S. adult population. The Healthy Eating Index score is based on the adequate consumption of nine foods – total fruit, whole fruit, total vegetables, greens and beans, whole grains, dairy, total protein, seafood, plant proteins, as well as fatty acids — and the consumption of four foods in moderation — refined grains, sodium, added sugars and saturated fats.

Among all the study participants, Healthy Eating Index scores were stable from early pregnancy through one year postpartum. But researchers noted differences in scores according to sociodemographic characteristics, weight status, lactation duration and tobacco smoking.

Unmarried study participants and those participating in more than one federal assistance program recorded the lowest mean Healthy Eating Index scores. In addition, a higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with a lower-quality diet. The highest mean Healthy Eating Index scores were seen in participants with higher education and among those who reported never smoking.

The study participants’ diets were assessed at six points — in each trimester of pregnancy and two months, six months and one year postpartum. Overall, they scored high — A+ (100) — on eating enough whole fruits, total protein and greens and beans. They scored lowest — a failing grade — on eating adequate whole grains and fatty acids, and lower on dairy products. On the moderation side, they scored a lower grade on sodium intake and saturated fats than on added sugars and refined grains, though there were no high scores.

Reference: Lipsky, L. M., Wright, B., Lin, T. C., Liu, A., Abbott, C., Siega-Riz, A. M., & Nansel, T. R. (2024). Diet quality from early pregnancy through 1-y postpartum: a prospective cohort study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 120(5), 1284-1293.