TY - JOUR
T1 - A Brief Survey of Dietary Beliefs and Behaviors of Pregnant Adolescents
AU - Whisner, Corrie
AU - Bruening, Meredith
AU - O'Brien, Kimberly O.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by USDA 2008-01857-05171 and, in part, by UL1 RR 024160 from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research . Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the National Center for Research Resources or the NIH.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
PY - 2016/10/1
Y1 - 2016/10/1
N2 - Study Objective To provide a brief assessment of dietary beliefs and behaviors in an understudied high-risk population of pregnant adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants Diverse pregnant adolescents (n = 66) recruited from the Rochester Adolescent Maternity Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York completed a nutrition knowledge and beliefs survey once during pregnancy. Interventions and Main Outcome Measures Responses were recorded by a health project coordinator who had good rapport with the teens. Study staff evaluated responses for emergent themes and thematically coded survey data. All responses were assessed relative to demographic variables using χ2 and analysis of variance tests. Results Most (83%; 55/66) pregnant teens self-identified as African American with 21% (14/66) identifying as Hispanic. Most (92%; 61/66) adolescents had medical insurance and 28% (19/66) reported participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The importance of proper nutrition was acknowledged but 14% (9/66) reported that diet did not matter or they were unsure of the importance of nutrition for the fetus. Money, access to food, and personal relationships were reported as constraining factors for a healthy diet. Response themes did not differ according to demographic characteristics. Conclusion Overall, pregnant teens recognize the importance of dietary intake during pregnancy but this knowledge does not always translate into behaviors. Understanding the health knowledge and behaviors of pregnant adolescents might provide a foundation for future lifestyle and clinical interventions.
AB - Study Objective To provide a brief assessment of dietary beliefs and behaviors in an understudied high-risk population of pregnant adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants Diverse pregnant adolescents (n = 66) recruited from the Rochester Adolescent Maternity Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York completed a nutrition knowledge and beliefs survey once during pregnancy. Interventions and Main Outcome Measures Responses were recorded by a health project coordinator who had good rapport with the teens. Study staff evaluated responses for emergent themes and thematically coded survey data. All responses were assessed relative to demographic variables using χ2 and analysis of variance tests. Results Most (83%; 55/66) pregnant teens self-identified as African American with 21% (14/66) identifying as Hispanic. Most (92%; 61/66) adolescents had medical insurance and 28% (19/66) reported participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The importance of proper nutrition was acknowledged but 14% (9/66) reported that diet did not matter or they were unsure of the importance of nutrition for the fetus. Money, access to food, and personal relationships were reported as constraining factors for a healthy diet. Response themes did not differ according to demographic characteristics. Conclusion Overall, pregnant teens recognize the importance of dietary intake during pregnancy but this knowledge does not always translate into behaviors. Understanding the health knowledge and behaviors of pregnant adolescents might provide a foundation for future lifestyle and clinical interventions.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Nutrition prenatal care
KW - Pregnancy
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jpag.2016.03.002
DO - 10.1016/j.jpag.2016.03.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 26995508
AN - SCOPUS:84979008547
SN - 1083-3188
VL - 29
SP - 476
EP - 481
JO - Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
JF - Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
IS - 5
ER -