The Effect of Vitamin A and D Levels and Diet Quality on Neonatal Anthropometric Measurements in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of serum vitamin A and D levels and dietary quality of pregnant women on newborn anthropometric measurements. Material and Methods: A hospital-based crosssectional study in northeastern Türkiye included 118 pregnant women aged 18-45 years during weeks 24-36 of pregnancy. Dietary intake was evaluated with a 3-day record and categorized as poor, moderate, or good using the Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy. Serum A and D vitamin levels were measured from blood samples, and postpartum newborn anthropometric measurements were recorded. Data analysis was performed using SPSS with a significance level of 0.05. Results: When pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) values were examined, 44.5% of the pregnant women were overweight/obese. 17% of the women had poor, 38.1% had moderate, and 44.1% had good dietary quality. Only 10.2% of the women had sufficient serum vitamin D levels, while 16.9% had excessive vitamin A levels. Regression analysis showed that pre-pregnancy BMI (β=0.32, p=0.00) and dietary magnesium intake (β=0.42, p=0.01) significantly affected newborn birth weight, explaining 32% of its variance. Although diet quality had no effect on newborn anthropometric measurements, pregnant women with good dietary quality and who used dietary supplements had babies with lower birth weights compared to those who did not use supplements (p<0.01, t=2.61). Conclusion: High pre-pregnancy BMI and inadequate dietary magnesium intake may adversely impact newborn birth weight, underscoring the importance of balanced nutrition. Maintaining an ideal BMI prior to pregnancy is crucial, and unnecessary supplement use should be avoided in women with good dietary quality.