Patient is Not (PIC)turing Pregnancy - Nutrition and Fitness

Background

• Scope: U.S. women of reproductive age have high rates of obesity, overweight, and eating disorders that in turn leads to nutritional deficiencies.
  
  

  • Common deficiencies in women of reproductive age include: iron (11%), Hypovitaminosis D (42% non-Hispanic blacks, 4.2% non-Hispanic whites), and <400mcg folic acid daily (81% non-Hispanic blacks, 79% Hispanics, 60% non-Hispanic whites) (National Health and Nutrition Examination)
    
    

  • U.S. women of reproductive age who are overweight – 25%, obese – 23%.
    
    

  • Social determinants of health including low-income, are at high risk of having these nutritional deficiencies because of lack of access, resources, etc.  
    
    

  • Preconception Significance: The woman’s nutritional status and physical fitness are major influences of her pregnancy outcomes, affecting: fertility, birth defects, low birth weight, pre-term delivery, maternal complications (diabetes, hypertension), increased cesarean section rates.
    
    

  • Risk Identification Strategies: General intake of women’s nutritional status through BMI measurements, evaluation of diets and physical activity levels.

Page Updated: 8/14/2017