Comparison of Dietary Patterns during Pregnancy in the Mothers of the Infants with Low Birth Weight and Normal Weight

Low birth weight (LBW) ( This case-control study was conducted in 2015 on 262 healthy mothers referring to a health center in the south of Tehran, Iran. The participants had given birth within the past three months at the time of the study. Data on the demographic characteristics and dietary patterns of the subjects were collected using a questionnaire. Major dietary patterns were determined using principal component analysis. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using independent sample t-test and Chi-square to evaluate the correlations between the quantitative and qualitative variables, respectively. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
The rate of LBW was higher in the mothers with unhealthy dietary patterns during pregnancy. In addition, significant correlations were observed between birth weight and maternal education level, occupation status, and healthy dietary patterns (P According to the results, adherence to a healthy diet during pregnancy could have a positive effect on pregnancy outcomes and reducing the risk of LBW.