Date of Award

Spring 5-15-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Nutrition Science and Dietetics

Advisor(s)

Garay, Jessica L.

Keywords

chronic disease, dietary inflammatory index, dietary patterns, healthy eating index, intrauterine growth restriction

Subject Categories

Life Sciences | Nutrition

Abstract

The long-term implications of maternal health behaviors on offspring are not well understood. Adverse events during the fetal developmental period have many implications on gestational and intergenerational health. In the case of severe maternal food restriction or famine, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may occur. IUGR leads to health risks in the post-natal period, in childhood development, and may contribute to chronic disease onset later in adulthood. To understand the influence of suspected IUGR on offspring, this study assessed adult dietary behaviors across a spectrum of birth weight, controlling for gestational age. 102 healthy young adults completed at least two 24-hour dietary recalls, the averages of which were used to calculate Healthy Eating Index (HEI) Total Score, HEI subgroup scores, Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) Overall Score, and DII nutrient scores. Participants were assigned into the IUGR or non-IUGR group by using a standardized birthweight variable that controlled for gestational age. HEI Total Scores between the IUGR and non-IUGR groups were 60.4 +/- 12.30 and 62.21 +/- 13.07, respectively, while DII Overall Scores between groups were .35 +/- 1.48 and .36 +/- 1.90. The data suggests that there were no significant differences (using P < .05) between groups for HEI Total Score nor DII Overall Score. Further, IUGR was not a predictor of HEI nor DII score (p = .58, p = .882 respectively). This suggests that the chronic disease often exhibited in IUGR individuals may have a more physiological and metabolic basis than behavioral.

Access

Open Access

Included in

Nutrition Commons

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.