Eating down or simply eating less? The diet and health implications of these practices during pregnancy and postpartum in rural Bangladesh

ObjectiveTo: (i) determine the prevalence of self-reported eating less and eating down during early and late pregnancy and postpartum, and explore risk factors associated with eating less; (ii) examine the association between eating less and diet quality; and (iii) determine the association between eating less and weight gain during pregnancy.DesignData were collected longitudinally from a cohort of women participating in a community health programme. Diet was assessed at three time points (20 weeks' gestation, 36 weeks' gestation, 6 months' postpartum), body weight was measured during study enrolment (20 weeks' gestation) and at 36 weeks' gestation, and information about the woman and her household was collected at enrolment.SettingThe Rang-Din Nutrition Study in the Rangpur and Dinajpur districts of Bangladesh.SubjectsWomen (n 4011).ResultsThe prevalence of self-reported eating less differed by time point (759 % in early pregnancy, 388 % in late pregnancy, 74 % postpartum; P<0001). The most common reason for eating less across all time periods was food aversion or loss of appetite. Women who reported eating less in late pregnancy had consumed animal-source foods less frequently in the preceding week than women who reported eating more (mean (sd): 117 (74) v. 148 (92) times/week; P<0001) and had lower weekly weight gain than women who reported eating more (mean (se): 027 (0004) v. 033 (0004) kg/week; P<0001).ConclusionsEating less has negative implications with respect to diet quality and pregnancy weight gain in this context.