Nutritional beliefs and practices in primigravid Mexican-American women.

One hundred and thirty-one young Mexican-American women were interviewed and assessed nutritionally at their first obstetrical visit in a city-county hospital. About half had an intake of less than the recommended allowance for one or more nutrients or were frankly anemic, as judged by hemoglobin levels. The majority demonstrated little accurate information concerning foods as sources of nutrients. Considerable confusion was shown in their answers to questions concerning newborn birth weight, diet, and maternal weight gain. The fundamentals of prenatal education regarding nutrition for these patients must begin with foods and their relative values, emphasize the dependence of the fetus on maternal diet, and clarify the relationship of weight gain to obstetrical health. Ideally, such an educational effort should begin in early childhood.