Health and Teen Pregnancy*

(*  Excerpts from excellent April 2003 Report of the Maternity Alliance and the Food Commission (H. Burchett and A. Seeley)     

When a teenager becomes pregnant she needs all the help and support she can

get. Babies born to teenagers are more likely to have lower birth weights,

increased risk of infant mortality and an increased risk of some congenital

anomalies. Pregnant teenagers are more likely to be disadvantaged than nonpregnant

teenagers and this tends to continue after the birth, with teenage

parents often living on a low income. Evidence suggests that the poor health

outcomes experienced by pregnant teenagers and their babies are due more to

poverty and social exclusion than young maternal age itself. The importance of

nutrition during pregnancy for the health of both mother and child is well

documented.

Teenagers are renowned for their unhealthy eating habits. Nutritional needs are

high in adolescence as the body grows and develops; yet evidence shows that

teenagers often have inadequate diets. Their diets tend to be high in sugar, salt

and saturated fat and lacking in fruit and vegetables6. Common teenage eating

behaviors include skipping meals, frequent snacking on foods high in fat or sugar

or low in nutritional value, and a reliance on convenient and fast foods7.

“I'd eat all the time if we had the money!” 16 year old, 7-9 months pregnant, living

with partner

The present report looks at the diets being eaten by pregnant under 18 year olds.

If such young women are failing to eat healthily, both their health and that of their

growing baby are at risk. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy will affect the

mother's long-term health, as the growing fetus draws on her nutrient reserves,

and it will affect the fetus which, deprived of an adequate range of nutrients,

will be at risk of stunting and early symptoms of heart disease and diabetes.

Interviews were carried out with 46 pregnant teenagers aged under 18 from seven

locations around England. Most of the teenagers consumed too many high

salt/sugar/fat foods in the 24-hour period analyzed. Commonly consumed foods

included milk, breakfast cereals (usually sweetened), squashes/fizzy drinks, white

bread and crisps/bagged snacks. Almost all of the teenagers did not eat enough

fruit and vegetables. A nutritional analysis of a sample of participants showed that

the majority ate diets that did not meet energy requirements (despite frequent

consumption of high sugar/fat foods). Most ate too much fat (particularly

saturated fat), too much sugar and not enough fiber. Insufficient intakes of vitamin

A, magnesium, zinc and vitamin C were common.

Most participants missed meals frequently and the two main reasons for this were

not being hungry and not having the money.

Almost all participants had made changes to their diet since becoming pregnant

and over half had made healthy improvements. Changes were made because of

changes in taste (e.g. cravings, nausea) and because their pregnancy created a

motivation to eat more healthily for the sake of their baby's health.

Most of the teenagers were aware of the basic components of a healthy diet.

However, taste preferences were the most common reason for not eating the foods

they thought they should. Everyone remembered receiving some form of dietary

advice; the most common source was midwives. However, negative advice (i.e.

what foods to avoid or cut down on) was more easily recalled than positive advice

about what to eat more of. The majority reported trying to follow the advice

given. Of those who did not follow advice, or only followed it sometimes, almost

all said that this was because it was too expensive.

Food choices were affected by financial constraints for a substantial number, with

more 'cheap fillers', less variety and less fresh produce eaten as money ran out.4

Health Problems

Four fifths of participants said that they had experienced health problems during

their pregnancy. Over two thirds had problems related to, or affecting, their food

consumption. The most common problems were morning sickness (n=25) and anemia (n=12).

Daily Diets

Three fifths of participants said that what they ate in the 24-hour recall was

typical of what they normally ate. The remainder felt that their 24-hour recall did

not reflect their typical diet for a number of reasons, such as illness or because of

unusual activities that day preventing usual eating patterns.

Frequency of foods eaten

The foods consumed in the 24-hour recalls were classified according to food type

(e.g. bread product, processed meat) and the frequency of their consumption was

then calculated. This gives an indication of the basic components of the women's

diets.