Concern over Maori womens' diet during pregnancy

The diet of Maori women who are pregnant or breastfeeding is causing serious concern, according to research for new nutrition guidelines released yesterday.

Maori women have inadequate iron, calcium and folate in their diet for carrying or breastfeeding babies, according to the guidelines.

Teenagers, young adults and women from lower socioeconomic groups are particularly at risk.

The research attributed some of the problem to impacts of colonisation on Maori, including the adoption of a European diet and the loss of traditional food-gathering areas, but also said genetic factors may predispose some Maori women to diabetes, asthma and respiratory diseases.

Factors contributing to poor nutrition included the fact that first-time pregnancies may be extremely difficult for young Maori mothers.

These pregnancies could be characterised by a lack of emotional support from partners and sometimes family, according to the report.

Poverty, higher unemployment rates and lower full-time employment rates, and higher levels of "food insecurity" meant the diet for pregnant and breastfeeding Maori women might change little from their normal diet, apart from an overall increase in intake.

And this was a particular worry in the case of Maori teenagers and their children who might already be at a nutritional, educational, emotional or social disadvantage.

"Health practitioners should be aware that food security is likely to be a significant barrier to the health and accessibility or variety of foods able to be eaten by a large number of Maori women," the paper said.

Almost half of Maori reported that the variety of foods they were able to eat was limited by lack of money, and 31 per cent of women living in Maori households were more likely to experience stress because of not having enough money for food, compared with 12 per cent of New Zealand European women.

In addition to diets low in calcium, iron and folate and high in fat and sugar, Maori women could also be lacking adequate intakes of thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin A, selenium and zinc.

Healthcare workers should consider the positive effects of using traditional Maori foods in the diet, with reduced use of fatty cuts of meat, salt, saturated fats, cream and sugar, the report said.

Women living in the most deprived regions of New Zealand were most likely to have an inadequate diet, and there were highly significant negative impacts on growth of their children during the first year of life.

A nutrition survey showed that compared with New Zealand European women, Maori women aged 25 to 44 years were more likely to have a higher consumption of takeaway foods, such as fish and chips, burgers, meat pies/sausage rolls and pizza with higher intakes of cholesterol, fat and sugar.

- NZPA