Nutritional Requirements During Pregnancy: Understanding Health Risks - Essay Sample

Introduction

During pregnancy, most women prefer taking most meals, which are essential for fetal development. However, this is not always the case, and the eating patterns are different across age, social class, culture, and lifestyle, among other factors. The availability of potential risk arises when pregnant women do not consider the correct dietary meals as prescribed by their nutritionists. Most women lack prior knowledge of nutritional requirements. This paper focuses on highlighting various health risk factors associated with nutrition for pregnant women.

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Nutritional Risk Factor That Is Age-Related

Combined overweight and obesity are some of the main risk factors affecting pregnant teens. According to NHANES 2009-2010, women aged between 19 to 29 are at higher risk of becoming obese or being overweight or a combination of the two (ZHiie, 2019). Most teens prefer the consumption of sugary related foods, which leads to increased weight gain and obesity. Most pregnant teens have been observed to consume foods such as chocolate and ice creams more frequently, which later results in obesity in some cases. Overweight, on the other hand, tend to be parallel with the level of obesity. Obese women have a tremendous potential risk of getting other complications during birth. According to the US report obtained from WIC participants, obesity and overweight prevalence were high among pregnant women in the young age 20 - 29 years.

On the other hand, PNSS data indicates that overweight and obesity prevalence in young women is 26 to 27.6%. Studies on reproductive-aged women in the US show that the prevalence of combined obesity and overweight is 55.8% in 2011-012 (ZHiie, 2019). The collected data from various sources indicate that young pregnant women are at a higher risk of getting obesity and overweight compared to women aged 35 years and above.

Culture and Lifestyle-Related Nutrition Risk

Culture Nutrition Risk

Preterm birth and related complications - studies conducted in Ethiopian migrants show how different cultural norms determine diet patterns to pregnant women. Most women between the ages of 20 to 29 were observed to be in great danger of preterm birth compared to those aged over 30 years. However, the study does not provide some defective differences in age-sets. The research shows that most refugees from Ethiopia are at high risk of getting complications during birth due to their strict adherence to cultural norms. Most teenage pregnant women tend to lack certain essential nutrients due to cultural delimitations. Some communities are strictly vegetarians, which implies a low intake of protein nutrient sources such as meat. Protein deficiency may later lead to anemic conditions of preterm and premature birth. Other studies suggest that, with low protein intake, fetal development is greatly affected by leading reduced underweight births. Therefore, it is evident that cultural diversity have highly influenced dietary patterns during pregnancy, predisposing pregnant women to preterm birth, and other delivery complications (Storr, Maher, & Swanepoel, 2016).

Lifestyle Relate Nutrition Risk

Preeclampsia and fetal development risks - the lifestyle of a pregnant woman determines how the fetus develops. Some studies have associated different lifestyle issues such as drug abuse and extreme physical exercises to pregnancy complications. According to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), 45% of smoking and drinking pregnant women at a higher risk of developing complications such as placental problems and preeclampsia ("American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)," 2018). A high intake of alcoholic substances affects fetal development as well as the mother's health. According to studies, mothers aged between 20 to 29 are at the high influence of abusing drug which later results to complications especially poor fetal development. Any addictive drug woman is expected to seek guidance on how to quit their lifestyle before committing to pregnancy. Other physical exercises, such as cycling may cause preterm birth. ACOG suggests that visiting a regular visiting to a physician can help quit drug use and help avoid extreme physical exercises, which may lead to potential pregnancy health effects.

Socio-Economic Related Nutritional Health Risk Factor

Pregnancy anemia leading to preterm birth - according to a survey conducted in low-income areas, 15% of the total women experiencing preterm birth suffered from anemia. Young women from low social-economic regions suffer from malnutrition leading to pregnancy underweight. American Health reports on teenage pregnant women indicate that Latina's aged between 19 to 29 years' experience preterm birth due to poor nutrition patterns. Most young Latina women lack necessary protein sources in their diet hence recording almost 5% preterm birth within the affected population. The study report concludes that most pregnant women from low-income regions lack essential diets containing vitamin B12 elements. The study also states that most pregnant women lacking basic protein meals such as meat, and other vitamin B12 related sources are at a higher risk of getting anemia. Contrarily, women in high-social-economic status who were able to afford quality diets reported minimal cases of anemia (Storr, Maher, & Swanepoel, 2016). USA medical report tries to relate to anemia and premature birth. However, 20% of preterm delivery cases have been associated with anemic conditions during pregnancy; hence, pregnant women lacking vitamin B12 in their diet are at high risk of getting pregnancy anemia.

Nutritional Risk Factors That Are Related To Dietary Complications During Pregnancy

Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension and Preeclampsia- the two conditions have been established as the primary cause of neonatal, fetal, and maternal mortality and mobility. Preeclampsia and Hypertension have been observed to cause preterm birth, maternal organ, and vascular event failure, as well as adverse fetal growth. Preeclampsia refers to a combination of high blood pressure accompanied by proteinous substances in the urine. The condition is well known for causing preterm birth, fetal mortality, and mobility, and intrauterine growth restrictions. Preeclampsia can lead to low pre-pregnant weight. However, by supplementing calcium by higher than 1g daily can reduce the risk factors. Despite the existence of little knowledge on the specific cause of preterm birth, factors such as deficiency of certain nutrients may, prepregnancy underweight, and undernutrition can lead to preterm births (Sydsjo, 2013).

Increased risk preterm labor - there is a high prevalence of getting increased pains during preterm births. Women with pregnancy underweight have a tremendous potential risk of experiencing the condition. However, other findings suggest the reduction of preterm delivery, such as the consumption of different nutritious foods. Consuming protein-rich food such as whole grains and fruits and also increased risk of discretionary food consumption can help minimize the risk. Furthermore, deficiency of zinc elements in the body has been highly associated with preterm birth ("Prevalence and risk factors for micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women at Cayenne maternity, French Guiana," 2019). According to evidence-based findings, through supplementation of zinc in pregnancy, it relatively decreased preterm risk by 14% in low-income social groups.

Conclusion

Poor nutritional patterns contribute to several nutrition-related diseases. Some nutritional disorders are caused by excessive consumption of particular nutrient-enriched food. However, other disorders result due to deficiency of certain nutrients. The most important aspect is for every pregnant woman to follow the right nutritional guidelines to avoid unnecessary complications such as preterm birth. Every pregnant woman should visit the nearest health center to be informed about the importance of taking maximum care during pregnancy. Also, the government should emphasize on campaigns about the necessary nutrition precautions and expectations during pregnancy.

References

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). (2018). The Grants Register 2018, 45-47. doi:10.1007/978-1-349-94186-5_61

Storr, T., Maher, J., & Swanepoel, E. (2016). Online nutrition information for pregnant women: a content analysis. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 13(2), e12315. doi:10.1111/mcn.12315

Fong, C. (2016). Prevalence of Anemia Risk Factors in Pregnant Women. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 5(4), 2107-2108. doi:10.21275/v5i4.21041602

Prevalence and risk factors for micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women at Cayenne maternity, French Guiana. (2019). doi:10.21203/rs.2.17318/v1

Sydsjo, G. (2013). Period prevalence and types of psychosocial risk factors in pregnant women in a Swedish urban community. International Journal of Social Welfare, 12(4), 302-306. doi:10.1111/1467-9671.00284

ZHiie, D. (2019). Dietary practices and associated factors among pregnant women in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. doi:10.21203/rs.2.13060/v1

Zhang, H. (2019). The Status of Nutritional Supplements Nutritional Supplements and Factors affecting Health Promotion Behaviors in Pregnant Women. JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH, 23(1), 35-44. doi:10.21896/jksmch.2019.23.1.35