Nutrient and food intakes differ among Latina subgroups during pregnancy.

Counselling women about healthy dietary intake patterns during pregnancy requires knowledge of the overarching dietary recommendations and knowledge of the nutrient and food intakes of pregnant women. Programmes that provide prenatal nutritional education are more effective at counselling their clients if they have an understanding of the dietary patterns, including the types and amounts of food and nutrients consumed, of the population they are addressing. Prenatal programmes that predominantly serve Latinas may serve several subpopulations, including women from different Central and South American countries, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Yet, research on prenatal dietary patterns among different Latina subgroups is limited. Thus, little is known about the dietary patterns of diverse Latina subgroups and even less is known about differences in nutrient and food group intake patterns between Latina subgroups, especially between those living in the same geographical area. Despite the strong links between dietary intake and birth outcomes(1–11) and the differences in birth outcomes between Latina subgroups (Puerto Ricans have the highest rates of low birth weight and very premature births among the Latina subgroups)(12–15), few studies have documented nutrient and food group serving intake patterns among pregnant Latinas(16–23). Most of these studies have been conducted among women of Mexican descent. Diets of pregnant women of Mexican descent are influenced by acculturation(16,24). Mexico-born women consume significantly more fibre, vitamins A, C and E, folate, Ca and Zn, as well as more servings of fruit, grains and dairy products, per day compared with US-born women of Mexican descent(16). However, the longer that Mexican-born women live in the USA, the less likely they are to consume optimal amounts of nutrients(16). Mexican women who grow up in the USA and have lower social support are more likely to have poorer dietary quality compared with those who grow up in Mexico(24). Findings from these studies suggest that traditional dietary patterns provide more nutrients and nutrient-rich foods compared with a US-based diet and that traditional patterns become modified to US patterns the longer an immigrant lives in the USA. To our knowledge, only one study has documented differences in nutrient intakes among pregnant Latina subgroups. That cross-sectional study conducted in New York over 30 years ago with a multiethnic sample of low-income pregnant women was limited by the comparison of intakes of only nine nutrients (i.e. energy, protein, Ca, Fe, vitamins A and C, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin)(18). Results from separate, individual studies conducted among either Mexican-American(16,17,19,21,22) or Puerto Rican women(20,23) suggest that dietary patterns may be different among Latina subgroups; yet, direct comparisons among different Latina subgroups could not be made because those studies: (i) were conducted in different geographical areas; (ii) did not use the same inclusion criteria; (iii) were conducted at different time points, with many being outdated (i.e. conducted in or before the 1990s); and (iv) reported on only selected nutrients and/or food groups. The only study that compared nutrient intakes among Latina subgroups(18) is limited in scope as it: (i) included only high-risk obstetric patients; (ii) reported nutrient intake differences for only nine nutrients with no information regarding daily food group serving consumption; and (iii) was conducted more than three decades ago. Therefore, the primary goal of the present study was to compare current nutrient and food group serving intakes from food sources between Latina subgroups living in the same geographical area.