Nutritional Pattern of Pregnant Women Attending to Health Centers Affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Nutritional status during pregnancy is important for the wellbeing of both mother and fetus and it is avoidable by adequate intake of food. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the nutrition pattern of pregnant women attending to health centers affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2008. It was a descriptive cross sectional study. A total of 360 pregnant women attending 10 health centers affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences، who were in their second trimester and onwards were recruited by cluster sampling. Data was collected by a two part instrument including demographic information and the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) which was used to assess the intake of different groups of food during last day، week، and month. Data analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and t- test using SPSS-PC (v. 14). The results showed that the average servings of food consumption was 4. 7 of carbohydrates، 1. 1 of meat and protein group، 1. 14 of dairy group، 1. 3 of fruit group، 1. 7 of vegetables، and 2. 17 of fat group. Moreover، the intake of calcium was 896mg، Protein 66. 5 g، folic acid 196. 5 6g، and the intake of iron was 12mg. Except fat group، the intake of all other nutritional groups was lower than recommended levels. The differences were statistically significant (P <0. 0001). Considering the results of the study، emphasize on the importance of proper nutrition through intake of adequate and diverse regimen fit with the needs of pregnant women is recommended.