Micronutrient consumption among postpartum women: impact of breastfeeding and food insecurity
food intake; nutrients, vitamins, minerals, postpartum women, food insecurity, breastfeeding.
We aimed to assess the consumption trend, prevalence of inadequacy, as well as to identify risk factors associated with the consumption of micronutrients among women (n-240), within one-year postpartum. We analyzed data from a cohort carried out in an economically vulnerable region of Brazil between 2017-2018. The consumption of micronutrients (Iron, zinc and vitamins A, B9, B12 and C) was evaluated using two 24-hour recalls, in three stages (3, 6 and 12 months postpartum) the Multiple Source Method was used in the intrapersonal variability adjustment calculations. To assess the risk factors associated with food consumption, a mixed-effect linear regression was performed. We observed a high prevalence of inadequate consumption for most micronutrients, except for Iron, in the three periods evaluated, with a tendency to reduce consumption, over a year, except for vitamin C. We identified high frequencies of inadequacy in all periods analyzed for Zinc, vitamin A and B9, with emphasis on vitamin B9, which showed inadequacy values above 90%, in the three stages of the study. The percentage of inadequacy of vitamin C reached about 40% in the 6th month, and vitamin B12, reached almost 20% inadequacy in the period corresponding to the 12th postpartum month. There was lower food consumption among women who breastfed their children, exclusively, for ≤90 days (Iron β:-0.09, p=0.056; Zinc β:-0.10, p=0.017; vitamin A β:-0.25, p=0.036; vitamin B9 β:-0.17, p= 0.010; vitamin C β: -1.00, p=0.000), and who have some degree of food insecurity (Iron β:-0.09, p=0.048; Zinc β:-0.13, p=0.000; vitamin C β:-0.44, p=0.023). The consumption of micronutrients among women, in the postpartum period, who live in this region marked by social vulnerability, generally showed a downward trend over the analyzed period, high prevalence of inadequacy, for most nutrients. The time postpartum factors, shorter period of exclusive breastfeeding and food insecurity remained associated, in a statistically significant way, lower consumption of vitamins and minerals analyzed in the explanatory models tested.