Nutrient intake patterns vary between low-income Puerto Rican Latinas and non-Puerto Rican Latinas during pregnancy

Nutrient intake during pregnancy influences fetal growth and development. Among Latinas, Puerto Ricans have the highest rates of low birth weight and preterm births compared to other Latina subgroups. Despite this, little is known about the nutrient intake patterns of pregnant Puerto Rican women nor how these patterns differ from other Latina subgroups during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to document differences in nutrient intake patterns between low-income pregnant Puerto Rican and non-Puerto Rican Latinas living in Hartford, Connecticut (N=234). Non-Puerto Rican Latinas comprised 33.2% (n=76) of the sample and came from Mexico (37.5%), Peru (20.0%), Guatemala (8.8%), Dominican Republic (7.5%), Honduras (7.5%), Colombia (6.3%), El Salvador (3.8%), Uruguay (2.5%), Ecuador (2.5%), Argentina (1.3%), Cuba (1.3%), and Bolivia (1.3%). A single 24-hour recall assessed dietary intake. The Minnesota Nutrient Database (NDS) computed nutrient daily totals for all participants based on the 24-hour recall. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were run to determine significant predictors of 52 nutrients and 6 nutrient ratios. Latina subgroup was found to be a predictor of nutrient intake during pregnancy. Non-Puerto Rican Latinas were approximately two times more likely to have intakes that fell within the upper tertile of intakes for vegetable protein, soluble fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, potassium, and percent of calories from carbohydrates compared to Puerto Rican Latinas. Non-Puerto Rican Latinas were 4 times more likely than their counterparts to have intakes that fell within the upper tertile for total fiber and insoluble fiber. By contrast, non-Puerto Rican Latinas were significantly less likely to fall in the upper tertile of intakes for fat, animal protein, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, niacin, calcium, galactose, lycopene, caffeine, as well as percent of calories from fat, saturated fatty acids, and monounsaturated fatty acids compared to Puerto Rican Latinas. These results suggest that non-Puerto Rican Latinas have a healthier diet than Puerto Rican Latinas. These findings could have important implications for nutrition education programs, such as WIC, that serve low-income pregnant Latinas. Funded through the UCONN Research Foundation, the USDA FSNE, Connecticut NIH EXPORT Center of Excellence for Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos(P20MD001765), and a USDA National Needs pre-doctoral fellowship.