Dietary intakes and anthropometric measures of Indigenous Australian women and their infants in the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort

Abstract

Indigenous Australians continue to experience disparities in chronic diseases, many of which have nutrition-related trajectories. Optimal nutrition throughout the lifespan is protective for a number of adverse health outcomes, however little is known about current dietary intakes and related anthropometric outcomes of Indigenous women and their infants. Research is required to identify nutrition issues to target for health promotion activities. The Gomeroi gaaynggal programme is an ongoing, prospective cohort of pregnant Indigenous Australian women and their children. A cross-sectional examination of postnatal dietary intakes and anthropometric outcomes of mothers and children are reported. To date, 73 mother-child dyads have participated postpartum. Breastfeeding initiation was 85.9% and median (interquartile range) duration of any breastfeeding was 1.4 (0.5-4.0) months. Infants were introduced to solid foods at 5.0 months (4.0-6.0) and cow's milk at 12.0 (10.0-13.0) months. At 12 months postpartum, 66.7% of women were overweight or obese, 63.7% at 2 years. Compared with recommendations, reported median maternal nutrient intakes from 24-h recall were low in fibre, folate, iodine, calcium, potassium and vitamin D and high in proportions of energy from total and saturated fat. Limitations of this study include a small sample size and incomplete data for the cohort at each time point. Preliminary data from this ongoing cohort of Indigenous Australian women and children suggest that women may need support to optimize nutrient intakes and to attain a healthy body weight for themselves and their children.

Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Indigenous Australian children aged 0–3 years and association with sociodemographic, life circumstances and health factors

“…Patterns of consumption are generally consistent with those from localised quantitative and qualitative studies (23)(24)(25) and with national NATSINPAS data, noting differences in outcome definition and age group: 26 (22) . Consumption of fruit drink and flavoured milk was also common among children in the present sample, as has been observed in previous studies (19,21,22,24,25) . Children's consumption of fruit drink (24,25,43) and flavoured milk may be encouraged by caregivers who perceive this to be a healthy choice, despite the potentially high sugar content.…”

“…There is a high prevalence of SSB consumption in Australia, and particularly high consumption prevalence and volume among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (18)(19)(20) . While the measurement approaches and populations have varied across studies, there is consistent localised and national quantitative evidence of high SSB intake by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the first 3 years of life (Table 1) (18,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26) . For example, data from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) indicated that 26•0 (95 % CI 13 •5, 38•5) % of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2-3 years had consumed cordial on the day prior to interview, compared with 10•3 (95 % CI 6•4, 14•2) % of non-Indigenous children in the Australian Health Survey (18,21,22) .…”

Disparities exist between the dietary intake of Indigenous Australian women during pregnancy and the Australian dietary guidelines: the Gomeroi gaaynggal study

“…Furthermore, poor food patterns and diet quality during pregnancy can exacerbate adverse maternal health outcomes by contributing to excessive gestational weight gain (49) and post-partum weight retention (50) . Although Ashman et al (51) have previously investigated the dietary intakes of Indigenous Australian women and their infants, the present study evaluates the dietary pattern of Indigenous Australian women during pregnancy from the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort, relative to national recommendations. Although Ashman et al (51) have previously investigated the dietary intakes of Indigenous Australian women and their infants, the present study evaluates the dietary pattern of Indigenous Australian women during pregnancy from the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort, relative to national recommendations.…”

“…Identifying the aspects of maternal diet and nutrient intakes during pregnancy that differ from national recommendations may assist with development of targeted nutrition interventions and inform public health policies seeking to optimise maternal nutrition. Although Ashman et al (51) have previously investigated the dietary intakes of Indigenous Australian women and their infants, the present study evaluates the dietary pattern of Indigenous Australian women during pregnancy from the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort, relative to national recommendations.…”

Reference Intervals for Non-Fasting CVD Lipids and Inflammation Markers in Pregnant Indigenous Australian Women

“…Common over-the-counter medications such as vitamin and mineral supplements may also significantly affect serum lipids and inflammatory markers [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Post-partum dietary data for this cohort has been published elsewhere [ 34 ], but it is beyond the scope of this analysis to include the effects of dietary intakes and patterns here.…”