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Introduction: There are grounds for the hypothesis that poor sleep quality, regardless of the pre-gestational nutritional status, is a risk factor for inadequate gestational weight gain., Objective: To investigate the association between sleep quality and insufficient or excessive gestational weight gain in Brazilian pregnant women without gestational complications and monitored in public prenatal care units., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study nested within a cohort study that reviewed pregnant women's mental health, sleep, and nutritional outcome. Data collection was carried out from May 2018 to June 2019 through face-to-face and telephone interviews and consultation of pregnant women's medical records. Sleep quality was assessed using the Mini-sleep Questionnaire. The pregnancy weight gain was measured based on the Institute of Medicine's recommendations. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used for the two outcomes: insufficient or excessive weight gain, using pregnant women with adequate weight gain as the reference category. Associations were considered significant when p < 0.05., Results: The prevalence of severe sleep disorders was high: 63.4% of pregnant women experienced this condition. Severe sleep disorders enhanced independently the risk of insufficient gestational weight gain (PR = 2.40; 95% CI = 1.06-5.42, p = 0.035). There was no association between sleep disorders and excessive gestational weight gain., Conclusion: The hypothesis that poor sleep quality influences gestational weight gain was confirmed. Severe sleep disorders, a highly prevalent condition, significantly increased the prevalence of insufficient gestational weight gain, yet it was not associated with excessive weight gain. Thus, educational actions should be included in the preconception and prenatal periods, in order to encourage the adoption of habits that favor sleep quality, an intervention that may have positive effects in reducing insufficient gestational weight gain., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The investigation was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu under Opinion no 3.068.212. After preliminary clarification to pregnant women on the subject of the study, the Term of Free and Informed Consent (TCLE) was applied, ensuring free adherence, confidentiality regarding the information provided and the right to withdraw from the investigation at any time. All participants signed the FICF. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Understanding the timing of food introduction in infants is essential for promoting optimal complementary feeding practices. However, existing studies often rely on cross-sectional data, limiting the ability to capture age-specific patterns. We aimed to describe food introduction during the first year of life by identifying patterns related to age at food introduction and associated factors in a cohort of Brazilian infants., Methods: Data were collected through standardized questionnaires administered to mothers via face-to-face interviews during the infant's first month of life and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age. Additionally, two telephone interviews were conducted at 2 and 4 months of age. Information regarding food intake was assessed using a list of 48 foods, with two key aspects recorded: whether the food was introduced (yes/no) and the age at introduction. To define food introduction patterns, we employed k-means cluster analysis. Hierarchical Poisson multiple regression was employed to examine the associations between sociodemographic, biological, and healthcare factors and patterns of food introduction., Results: Three distinct patterns were identified and named according to their main characteristics: Pattern 1 - "Low Infant Formula and Timely CF Introduction"; Pattern 2 - "High Infant Formula and Early CF Introduction"; and Pattern 3 - "High Infant Formula and Later Ultra-processed Food Introduction". Breastfeeding at six months showed a positive association with Pattern 1 (PR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.10-1.80), while bottle use at four months was negatively associated with Pattern 1 (PR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.53-0.87). No variables studied exhibited an association with Pattern 2. For Pattern 3, higher prevalences were observed among children whose mothers were aged < 20 years (PR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.13-2.01) or > 34 years (PR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.04-1.93). Not receiving guidance on the recommended duration of breastfeeding and complementary feeding during prenatal care was associated with a higher prevalence of children in this pattern (PR = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.01-1.80)., Conclusions: We identified three distinct patterns of age at food introduction in the study population, although none perfectly aligned with Brazilian or WHO dietary recommendations. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to promote timely and healthy complementary feeding practices in Brazilian infants., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To describe the trend of physical activity (PhA) in four domains performed by pregnant women living in Brazilian capitals and the Federal District (FD) and to verify the association between sociodemographic factors and the practice of leisure-time physical activity between 2007 and 2017., Methods: Time trend study carried out with data from the Surveillance System of Risk Factors for chronic diseases by telephone survey (Vigitel). A total of 3,730 pregnant women were interviewed in the period, considering sociodemographic variables (age, macro-region, work, marital status, schooling, skin color) and physical activity in the four domains (leisure-time, work, commuting, domestic - yes/no). For pregnant women who performed leisure-time physical activity, its duration was inquired, expressed in the variable PhA ≥ 150 minutes/week (yes/no). The time trend was evaluated by variance-weighted linear regression (average annual variation was expressed in percentage points - pp) and the association of sociodemographic factors with leisure-time physical activity by Poisson regression, with prevalence ratio (PR) estimation., Results: The prevalence of pregnant women with 12 years of schooling or more increased in the analyzed period (+1.37 pp/year), as well as the prevalence of pregnant women with more than 35 years of age (+1.11 pp/year) and those who work (+0.75 pp/year). The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity by pregnant women increased from 29.3% in 2007 to 37.6% in 2017 (+1.37 pp/year), and of PhA ≥ 150min/week from 2.3% to 20.6% (+2.33 pp/year), respectively, and there was a reduction in domestic physical activities from 63.9% to 38.9% (-1.65 pp/year). The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity was higher among pregnant women with more than 12 years of schooling (PR = 2.22; 95%CI: 1.73-2.84) as compared to those with less than 8 years of age, and lower among black/brown/indigenous pregnant women, compared to white/yellow ones (PR = 0.87; 95%CI: 0.78-0.97). The prevalence of PhA ≥ 150min/week increased according to years of schooling and age., Conclusions: The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity and its performance for ≥ 150 minutes/week increased in the analyzed period, and both were directly associated with greater schooling.

Objective: to identify the factors associated with death due to COVID-19 among Brazilian postpartum women in the first five months of the pandemic and five subsequent months, and describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of postpartum women who developed the disease., Method: cross-sectional population-based study using a secondary database available in the Sistema de Informação de Vigilância Epidemiológica da Gripe -SIVEP-Gripe (Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System), Brazilian Ministry of Health. A total of 869 postpartum women were included, and the analysis considered the first five months of the pandemic and subsequent five months. Association between the variables of interest and outcome (death due to COVID-19/cure) was investigated using logistic regression., Results: most participants were aged between 20 and 34, of mixed race or Caucasian, and lived in the urban/peri-urban area. The proportion of deaths was 20.2% in the first period and 11.2% in the second. The likelihood of death increased in both periods due to the presence of respiratory signs and symptoms: dyspnea, respiratory distress, and oxygen saturation below 95%, in addition to the need for ventilatory support and intensive care., Conclusion: the proportion of deaths among postpartum women was high and decreased in the second period under study. Respiratory signs and symptoms, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care were associated with death in both periods.

Objective: to investigate associations between depressive symptoms during pregnancy, low birth weight, and prematurity among women with low-risk pregnancies assisted in public Primary Health Care services., Method: prospective cohort with 193 pregnant women, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, telephone interviews, and medical records available in the health services. Associations of interest were obtained using the Cox regression model., Results: the participants were aged 24.9 years old (median) and had 11 years of schooling (median); 82.4% lived with their partners, and gestational age at the birth was 39 weeks (median). Twenty-five percent of the participants scored ≥13 on the Edinburgh scale. Depressive symptoms did not appear associated with low birth weight (RR=2.06; CI95%=0.56-7.61) or prematurity (RR=0.86; CI95%=0.24-3.09) in the adjusted analysis. However, premature labor increased the risk of low birth weight (RR=4.81; CI95%=1.01-23.0) and prematurity (RR=7.70; CI95%=2.50-23.7). Additionally, each week added to gestational age decreased the risk of low birth weight (RR=0.76; CI95%=0.61-0.95)., Conclusion: the presence of depressive symptoms among women with low-risk pregnancies was not associated with low birth weight or prematurity.

Objective: To identify the effect of the category gestational age at term on breastfeeding in he first hour of life, the duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and practice of breastfeeding twelve months from birth., Method: Single cohort, with a one-year prospective follow-up of 541 children. A hierarchical analysis was performed, with models adjusted per Cox regression, considering critical p < 0.05., Results: During raw analysis there was a statistical difference on breastfeeding in the first hour of life (RR = 1.54; CI 95% = 1.12-2.12; p = 0.008). However, in the final analysis, there was no association between gestational age at term and breastfeeding in the first hour of life, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and the practice of breastfeeding twelve months from birth. Secondarily, higher age and education, cesarean section, birth at private services, and the need for resuscitation were observed to have a negative influence. Duration of previous pregnancy favored breastfeeding in the first hour of life. Using baby bottle and pacifier was negative for breastfeeding in the first year of life., Conclusion: There was no association between the category gestational age at term and breastfeeding. The association of outcomes pointed out by the scientific literature have been confirmed.

Objective: To investigate whether the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) during pregnancy is associated with gestational weight gain (GWG)., Design: Cohort study with collection of two 24-h dietary recalls during each gestational trimester obtained on non-consecutive days and differentiating weekday v. weekend/holiday. The foods were classified according to the NOVA system into fresh or minimally processed foods and their culinary preparations, processed and UPF and subsequently analysed as a percentage contribution to dietary energy. The outcome was average GWG in the second and in the third trimesters, expressed in g/week., Setting: Botucatu, a medium-sized Brazilian city., Participants: Pregnant women with regular obstetric risk (n 259) undergoing prenatal care in primary healthcare., Results: In a multiple linear regression model, it was found that an increase of 1 percentage point in energy consumption from UPF in the third gestational trimester led to an average increase of 4·17 (95 % CI 0·55; 7·79) g in weekly GWG in this period. There was no association between second-trimester UPF consumption and GWG., Conclusions: Consumption of UPF in the third gestational trimester is positively associated with average weekly GWG in this period.

Interventions during prenatal care can mitigate negative outcomes of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet during pregnancy. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention that promoted healthy diet and leisure-time walking during antenatal care in a pragmatic, controlled, non-randomized intervention study. Physicians and nurses from all health care units of the Family Health Strategy model of health assistance participated in educational training to promote leisure-time walking and healthy diet during antenatal care visits. Pregnant women who received health care from these professionals constituted the intervention group (n = 181). The control group (n = 172) included pregnant women who received routine antenatal care, in health care units of the traditional model of health assistance. Data were collected in each trimester of pregnancy. Diet was investigated using a food frequency questionnaire adapted from Risk and Protective Factors Surveillance System for Chronic Non-Comunicable Diseases Through Telephone Interview (Vigitel). Leisure-time walking in a typical week was assessed using questions from the Physical Activity in Pregnancy Questionnaire. There were positive effects on leisure-time walking during the second trimester and the third trimester of pregnancy and on the women who achieved 150 minutes per week of walking during the third trimester. The intervention reduced the risk of pregnant women consuming soft drinks and/or commercially prepared cookies in the third trimester. This lifestyle intervention was partially effective, tripling the proportion of pregnant women who achieved the recommended walking time and reducing by half the proportion of women who had a high weekly consumption of soft drinks and industrially processed cookies.

Objective: To assess association between late-preterm birth and use of referral health services in the first year of life., Methods: This was a prospective cohort study, with data collected from infants at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months old. Maternal and birth characteristics were compared between full-term and late preterm infants. The effect of late preterm birth on the use of specialized outpatient clinic, emergency room/emergency care center, hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions was evaluated by calculating adjusted odds ratios., Results: 41 late preterm and 540 full-term infants differed as to frequency of low birth weight and in not staying in joint accommodation, both of which were higher in late-preterm infants, who were also more likely to be admitted to the neonatal ICU (OR=6.85 - 95%CI 2.56;18.34). Late preterm birth was not associated with the use of other referral health services., Conclusion: late preterm birth was not associated with greater use of referral health services after discharge from maternity hospital.

Diet during pregnancy is related to several maternal and infant health outcomes; however, the relationship between maternal dietary glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) and gestational weight gain (GWG) or newborn birth weight is controversial. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between maternal dietary GI and GL and GWG and birth weight. A cohort of adult pregnant women with usual obstetric risk was followed in Botucatu, SP, Brazil. Two 24-h dietary recalls were collected in each gestational trimester (<14, 24-27, 31-34 weeks), one in person and the other by telephone. GI and GL were determined using the software Nutrition Data System for Research. GWG was obtained from medical records and evaluated as the weekly GWG between the second and third gestational trimesters. Newborn birth weight z-score in relation to gestational age was evaluated according to Intergrowth-21st Project recommendations. A multiple linear regression model, adjusted for potential confounders, showed a one-point increase in the GI resulted in a mean decrease of 12·9 (95 % CI -21·48, -4·24) g in weekly GWG; GL was not associated with this outcome. The birth weight z-score was not associated with GI (P = 0·763) or GL (P = 0·317). In conclusion, in a cohort of pregnant women considered at usual risk for obstetric complications, maternal dietary GI was negatively associated with weekly GWG in the second and third gestational trimesters. No association was observed between GL and GWG, and neither GI nor GL was associated with birth weight z-score.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate food consumption during pregnancy by determining dietary patterns, associations with maternal characteristics, and possible changes in adherence to patterns throughout pregnancy., Methods: We prospectively followed two groups of pregnant women (N = 353) and collected, in each gestational trimester, two 24-h dietary recalls: one in person and another by telephone, with one of these recalls performed on a weekend or holiday. To determine the women's dietary patterns, principal component analysis was conducted using the combined data of groups and trimesters. The association between adherence to patterns and maternal characteristics was investigated using a logistic regression model, including covariates as potential confounders. Changes in adherence throughout the trimesters by the means difference test also were examined., Results: Three dietary patterns were identified: traditional Brazilian; predominantly ultra-processed and beef; and whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, and dairy. Associations were found between adherence to patterns and not working outside the home, not being white, being younger, not living with a partner, drinking alcohol before pregnancy, years of formal education, and socioeconomic classification. Adherence to the traditional Brazilian pattern increased as gestational trimesters advanced, whereas the pattern that included whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, and milk derivatives decreased from the first to the second gestational trimester., Conclusion: We found associations between maternal sociodemographic characteristics and adherence to different dietary patterns, as well as changes in adherence during pregnancy. This knowledge is relevant to creating specific and feasible guidelines for different population strata associated with the patterns., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)