The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dietary Patterns of Pregnant Women: A Comparison between Two Mother-Child Cohorts in Sicily, Italy

oleh: Roberta Magnano San Lio, Martina Barchitta, Andrea Maugeri, Maria Clara La Rosa, Giuliana Giunta, Marco Panella, Antonio Cianci, Fabiola Galvani, Elisa Pappalardo, Giuseppe Ettore, Antonella Agodi

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-08-01

Deskripsi

A maternal diet, before and during pregnancy, plays a key role in ensuring maternal and newborn health. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, may have compromised dietary habits in the general population and in specific subgroups of individuals. Here, we evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on the diet of pregnant women, using data from two mother-child cohorts in Sicily (Italy). Dietary data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire and analyzed through the Mediterranean diet (MD) score and principal component analysis (PCA). The comparison of maternal dietary consumption before and during the COVID-19 pandemic showed differences in terms of vegetables (<i>p</i> < 0.001), fruit (<i>p</i> < 0.001), dairy products (<i>p</i> < 0.001), fish (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and legumes (<i>p</i> = 0.001). Accordingly, after adjusting for covariates, mothers enrolled during the pandemic were more likely to report low adherence to MD than those enrolled before (OR = 1.65; 95%CI = 1.12–2.42; <i>p</i> = 0.011). A similar result was obtained by analyzing the adherence to a prudent dietary pattern, derived through PCA and characterized by high intake of cooked and row vegetables, legumes, fruit, fish, and soup. Overall, these findings suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced maternal diet during pregnancy. However, further efforts are needed to investigate the main causes and consequences of this change.