Research & Reviews: Journal of Medical and Health Sciences
MenuISSN: 2319-9865
ISSN: 2319-9865
Nermeen El Beltagy
Alexandria University, Egypt
ScientificTracks Abstracts: RRJMHS
Introduction: Gestational weight gain (GWG) along with weight retention 1 year postpartum is associated with long-term
obesity. Assessment of potential risky dietary behaviors might prevent weight retention and obesity.
Aim: To determine the effect of breakfast intake, beverages and snake among postpartum females attending family health
centers in Alexandria on the body mass index at one year after delivery.
Methods: One hundred postpartum cases with BMI>25 at one year after delivery were matched with one hundred normal
weight control mothers for age between January and December 2014. All study participants were interviewed and dietary
behavior was assessed using the Snack and Beverage Food Frequency Questionnaire (SBFFQ). Seven days recall of breakfast
and snack intake was done. Mothers� intake of certain sweet and salty items during the prior seven days was assessed by asking
how many days, how many times per day, and how much of the item the mother consumes. Finally, the intake was converted
into the total calories consumed for each individual item and was summed to obtain the total daily caloric intake.
Results: Almost half (51%) of overweight and obese mothers ate breakfast six to seven days per week compared to almost one
two third( 68% ) of the females with normal BMI . GWG was between 8-16 kg in the cases while the range in the normal weight
mothers was between 9-14 kg. Women with BMI>25 consumed 937 higher calories per week from salty snake and sweetened
drinks, and a lower BMI compared to normal weight mothers (p<0.05). The mean caloric intake in overweight and obese
mothers per day was 2367.25 ± 572.91 compared to 1430.63 ± 333.23 in females with normal body weight (p<0.05).
Conclusion: More effort is needed to motivate regular breakfast intake and dietary behavior modification among postpartum
mothers.
Nermeen El Beltagy MD, PhD, MS, MPH, Professional C is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alexandria University, Egypt. She is a member of the International weight management in pregnancy (I-WIP collaborators of the European Union). She received her medical degrees from Egypt, but the PhD in environmental health, and MPH in epidemiology degrees were from Saint Louis University in the USA. She earned her Professional Certifi cate in women's heath from Exeter University, UK. She participated in the Risk Communication Challenges workshop”, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, May 2003 and, attended “Evidence Based Public Health workshop”, CDC, March 2003.She received the award of the best poster for the 1st International Conference in Quality in Obstetrics, Lyon France, 2011. She authored and coauthored over 10 peer reviewed publications mainly on the subjects of Causes and recommendations of maternal mortality and morbidity in Egypt, preeclampsia, maternal obesity and contraception. She is an editor of the American journal of cancer prevention. She is involved in a number of research projects investigating the role of exercise in disease prevention (especially diabetes and obesity) and the assessment of the role of breakfast intake during pregnancy on the rate of post-partum obesity. Also, she participated in a research project of the lipid profi le in obese women.
E-mail: nermean67@yahoo.com