Interpregnancy nutrition intervention with mothers of low-birthweight babies living in an inner city area: a feasibility study

Summary Background: Inadequate maternal nutrition around the time of conception is reported to be associated with nongenetic congenital abnormalities and with low birthweight. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition counselling during the interpregnancy interval for women who have had a low‐birthweight baby, who live in an inner city area, and whose diets have been assessed as inadequate. Method: Mothers who had a low‐birthweight baby and planned to have another baby were recruited into a pilot preconception nutrition counselling trial. Seven‐day diet diaries were used to assess the dietary intakes of mothers before and after exposure to counselling. Results: Of 152 mothers interviewed, 111 (73%) agreed to participate; 77 (51%) participants completed 7‐day diet diaries; of these, the calculated micronutrient intake of 70 (91%) was arbitrarily defined as ‘inadequate’, meeting fewer than four of 16 Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs). Forty‐one (59%) of the 70 mothers with an ‘inadequate’ diet completed a second diary after 6 months exposure to nutrition counselling. Following the counselling period, the intake of few nutrients increased above the 5% level, although the trend was towards an improved dietary intake. Conclusions: Dietary counselling on its own in the interpregnancy period is unlikely to improve nutritional status of mothers in this inner city population.