Dietary habits, pregnancy weight gain and birthweights in a highland population of Kenya.

In a prospective study of the effects of micro-nutrient supplementation during pregnancy in a cohort of healthy, non-anaemic antenatal outpatients of a small hospital in highland Kenya, research was also carried out on dietary habits, weight gain and birth-weights. Participants were enrolled at a mean gestation of 29 weeks (s.d.2.37). Special consideration was given to the dietary intake of the micronutrients most important to erythropoiesis, namely iron, folate and vitamin C (the main promotor of iron absorption). It was found that 74% consumed an inferior diet with regard to these micronutrients. The mean birth-weight of infants born to participants was 3178 grams (s.d. 398 grams). Only two variables were found to be significantly associated with birth-weight ; mothers' weight gain on enrolment and mothers' weight gain during one month of the last trimester (p<0.05). It appears that the dietary intake during pregnancy in this population was lacking in important micronutrients, and it is recommended that antenatal clinics prioritise nutrition education during pregnancy.