Older pregnant women and adolescents: nutrition data after enrollment in WIC.

Although there has been an increase in pregnancy in women over 35 years of age, the literature contains no information on dietary intakes of older pregnant women. Several studies have reported the nutritional status of pregnant adolescents who are considered to be at nutritional risk. This study investigated the energy, nutrient, and food intake patterns of 63 low-income pregnant women over 35 compared with 526 pregnant adolescents. Nutrient intake was assessed using a standardized 24-hour dietary recall protocol. Energy values for both groups were below recommended levels, and neither group gained the recommended amount of weight. Obesity may have been the reason for the lack of weight gain by the older pregnant women, since more than 50% of the older pregnant women were calculated to be obese prior to pregnancy. The younger women reported consuming less milk but more snack foods with lower nutrient densities, which significantly increased their energy values over those of the older group. In comparison with diets reported in other studies, the diets of the older pregnant women were more nutrient dense for most nutrients. Although all participants were enrolled in WIC, an equal number of women from both groups stated that they did not have the supplemental foods in their households at the time of interview.