The Impact of Maternal Iron Status During Pregnancy on Infant Health Outcomes

Abstract

Pregnant women are prone to developing iron deficiency anemia from increased blood volume and iron demand. Iron deficiency increases risks for low birth weight and preterm birth, which are leading causes of infant death in the United States. This project investigates the relationship between iron intake during the third trimester and birth weight and gestational age. Data for this study was collected from the Breastfeeding and Early Child Health (BEACH) study, a longitudinal birth cohort that evaluated the impact of maternal obesity on infant outcomes in exclusively breastfed infants. Diet records at 3^rd trimester were available in 41 participants. ESHA Food Processor was used to process the diet records and iron intakes were based on dietary reference intakes. We used R-statistical programming for statistical analysis. The primary predictors were iron intake adequacy risk and mean iron intake, and the primary outcomes were birth weight and gestational age. We used linear regression to model mean iron intakes relationship with birth weight. Covariates included pre-pregnancy weight, height, and gestational age. We found that infant birth weight is lower among mothers with a 70% risk for inadequate iron intake than infant birth weights of mothers with a 50% risk for inadequate iron intake, while there is no difference in gestational age between the groups. Mean iron intake was positively associated with birth weight and not associated with gestational age.