This project aims to investigate how socio-economic status affects dietary intake, physical activity, alcohol intake and smoking behaviour among pregnant women in Ireland. The association between poverty and poor nutritional intake and health behaviours has previously been established in non-pregnant populations. However, it is not yet known whether the same patterns exist among pregnant Irish women, or what effects they might have on the health of these women and their children if they do exist. Establishing these facts will help to develop effective health promotion initiatives in this area. This research will be carried out in the Coombe Women & Infants’ University Hospital under the guidance of Professor Michael Turner of the UCD Centre for Human Reproduction and Dr. Daniel McCartney of Dublin Institute of Technology. Pregnant patients will be recruited at their first antenatal visit, asked to provide written consent to participate and requested to complete a number of questionnaires on diet, lifestyle and socio-economic status. In addition, each volunteer will have their body weight and composition measured.
When these data have been collected, dietary patterns, health behaviours, bodyweight and attitudes will be compared between the different socio-economic groups.