| Abstract [eng] |
Keywords: pregnant women, nutrition, lifestyle, persistent organic pollutants, human milk. Objective. The aim of the research is to explore and assess nutrition and lifestyle habits of pregnant women in the city of Vilnius. Methods. 129 pregnant women and 21 breastfeeding mothers were selected for each study. The survey was carried out using the direct interview method which covered each respondent’s food consumption data during the previous day. Standard questionnaires were used for the investigation of nutrition and lifestyle habits. For the recruitment of human milk donors, questionnaires were distributed at Vilnius University Women Clinics providing prenatal and postnatal services in the area of Vilnius city. 21 samples were sent to the WHO Reference Laboratory. Data analysis was performed using the program SPSS 12.0. Mann-Whitney rank sum criterion (U) was applied to the analysis of the statistically important difference between the groups, and the value χ2 was applied to the evaluation of a statistic relation of qualitative features. The chosen following significance level was 0.05. Results. The main criteria of the food choice of pregnant women are the taste of food and health improving food items. The survey revealed that only 41.1 % respondents consumed fresh vegetables (excluding potatoes) daily or almost daily, and only 7.8 % of respondents consumed fresh vegetables 6 – 7 times a week. 45.7 % of respondents consumed cereal-based products daily and 14.7 % of respondents consumed them several times a day. The evaluation of the nutrition of pregnant women showed the excess of fats and the lack of carbohydrates. With food respondens are obtained less, than it is recommended, amount of some vitamins (D, folate). Food supplements were used daily by one quarter of the respondents. 60 % of respondents were non-smokers and 2.3 % of them smoked daily. 35.7 % respondents used to smoke before pregnancy. Statistically reliable results showed that women who had exercised during pregnancy put on less weight than those who did not. The analysis of human milk showed that the concentration of dioxine like PCBs is 6.80 pg TEQ/g fat. The concentration of PCDDs/Fs in human milk is 5.85 pg TEQ/g fat. Conclusions. The main criteria of the food choice of pregnant women are the taste of food and health improving food. The nutrition of pregnant women in Vilnius city is unbalanced. The majority of pregnant women exercise during their pregnancy, do not smoke and do not use alcohol. Persistent organic pollutants concentrate in human milk. |
