Relationships between prenatal medical and nutritional measures, pregnancy outcome, and early infant development in an urban poverty setting. I. The role of nutritional intake.

Repeated nutritional assessments were made on 118 low-income women who registered at an urban hospital clinic prior to the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy and then on 122 comparable women who were provided with protein-mineral supplementation. Demographic and background information were obtained. Medical assessments were carried out throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. The infants were assessed both medically and with Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scales. In spite of their low-income status, the subjects did not appear nutritionally deprived. Few significant relationships were obtained between maternal nutritional intake and measures of maternal or infant medical status or infant psychological status. A limited number of consistent relationships were obtained when the supplemented and nonsupplemented groups were compared. Although consistent infant medical and psychological benefits were not noted, mothers in the supplemented group developed fewer parameters of pre-eclampsia and had fewer complications during labor and delivery.