Comparison of the nutritional status of pregnant adolescents with adult pregnant women. III. Maternal protein and calorie intake and weight gain in relation to size of infant at birth.

Factors influencing the outcome of pregnancy were studied in 98 women, ages 12 to 32, divied into four age groups. A significantly higher weight gain was recorded for the youngest age group and the lowest gain for the oldest age group. The amount of weight gained was a function of length of gestation, but was not influenced by calorie intake of the mother. Neither was there significant correlation between protein and calorie intake of the mother and the infant's birth weight. Mean calorie intakes averaged below and mean protein intakes above the 1974 RDA. About 10% of the infants weighed less than 2,500 g and no single factor could be identified as the cause of low birth weight.