ESPEN 2012 - Late breaking abstract submission

Topic: Late Breaking Abstract

Abs n°:ESPEN12-1892

Abs Title: AN EVALUATION OF WATER BALANCE IN PREGNANT WOMEN IN GREECE

O. Malisova ^1,*A. Protopappas ²V. Bountziouka ¹A. Zampelas ¹M. Kapsokefalou ¹

¹Food Science and Technology, Agricultural University of Athens, ²1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gynecologic Oncology & Colposcopy Units, Athens University, Alexandra Hospital, Athens, Greece

Rationale: Dehydration during pregnancy may be harmful for the mother and the fetus.  The objective of the study was to assess water balance in pregnant women.

Methods: The Water Balance Questionnaire (WBQ) records water intake, loss and balance (Malisova et al., 2012).  The WBQ was validated in the past in the general public, was modified to incorporate questions that reflect pregnancy (Water Balance in Pregnancy Questionnaire, WBQ-P), and validated in pregnant women.  The WBQ-P was administered in 60 healthy pregnant women, 20 from each trimester, who completed three day diaries.  From this sample, 40 women also provided a morning urine sample for determination of osmolality, specific gravity, pH, color.  Subsequently the WBQ-P was administered to a sample of 298 pregnant women in Greece aged 19-46 years (33±6 yrs), 95 from the first trimester, 100 from the second trimester and 97 from the third trimester of their pregnancy.

Results: Mean water balance was 203 (-577, 971) ml/day, water intake was 2917 (2187, 3544) ml/day and water loss 2658 (2078, 3391) ml/day.  Water balance, intake and loss did not differ between three trimesters (p=0.58, p=0.43, p=0.37), however women in the third trimester had lower water intake from beverages (p<0.001).   Water balance, intake and loss in pregnant women were not different than that in non-pregnant of the same age.  However more pregnant women were falling in the higher quartiles of water balance distribution than non pregnant

Conclusion: The study delivered data on water balance in pregnancy with details referring to different sources of water intake and on distribution of the sample in four water balance quartiles.

Reference(s): Malisova O, Bountziouka V, Panagiotakos D, Zampelas A & Kapsokefalou M. (2012) The water balance questionnaire: design, reliability and validity of a questionnaire to evaluate water balance in the general population. Int J Food Sci Nutr 63(2):138-44.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared

Keywords: pregnancywater balance