Relationship Between Environmental Factors Including Nutritional Status and Stress of Pregnant Women and Birthweight in Shimane Prefecture

The relationship among nutritional intake status, stress and infant birthweight was examined using questionnaire-based analyses in pregnant women in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. In Survey 1, a Food Frequency Questionnaire Based on Food Groups (FFQg) was administered to 26 pregnant women at around 12, 26, and 36 weeks of gestation and the results were analyzed. The group that experienced stress had significantly lighter birthweight and tended to have lower energy intake in early pregnancy and higher energy intake in late pregnancy than the group that felt little or no stress. In Survey 2, a self-administered diet history questionnaire was given to 84 pregnant women at 12 weeks of gestation. The results showed that birthweight was not significantly different between the high and low stress groups, whereas women in the former group consumed significantly more energy with adequate PFC balance. Collectively, PFC balance maintained within recommended range might reduce the influence of stress on infant birthweight.