Publications by authors named "Liska Robb"
Article Synopsis
- - The study created the first Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy (SA-DQI-P) specifically for South African women, aimed at improving dietary adherence during pregnancy for better birth outcomes.
- - Validation was done using data from the Nutritional status of Expectant Mothers and their newborn Infants (NuEMI) study, linking higher SA-DQI-P scores with factors like lower household density, educational level, and food security.
- - Results showed that higher SA-DQI-P scores corresponded with increased nutrient intakes (like protein and vitamins) and that lower scores were linked to a higher incidence of vitamin A deficiency, highlighting the index's effectiveness in ranking diet quality among pregnant women.
Background: Despite routine iron supplementation for pregnant women in South Africa, anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) in pregnancy remain a public health concern.
Objective: To determine the associations between iron status and birth outcomes of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at a regional hospital in Bloemfontein.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 427 pregnant women, blood was taken to analyze biomarkers of anaemia (haemoglobin), iron status (ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor) and inflammation (C-reactive protein and α-1-acid glycoprotein).
Aims: High diet quality is related to better health outcomes in general. During pregnancy, a high-quality diet is of paramount importance to promote optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes. This is a scoping review of research available on diet quality indexes (DQIs) for use during pregnancy that summarizes the DQIs in terms of development, country of origin, population used, components, scoring and weighting of components, and evaluation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Low socio-economic status is associated with poor birth outcomes, however, few studies on this topic have been conducted in South Africa. We determined associations between socio-demographic variables of pregnant women and birth outcome in their offspring.
Methods: This study was nested in a prospective cohort study conducted at an antenatal clinic at a regional hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Background: The health and well-being of pregnant women can influence pregnancy outcomes and are closely associated with social support and experiences of stress. Poor nutrition predisposes to poor health with choline intake affecting pregnancy outcome. This study determined reported health, social support, and stress and how these factors are associated with choline intake in pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPoor birth outcomes such as low birth weight, low birth length and short gestational age, are public health concern issues in South Africa (SA). This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore how nutritional and social factors contribute to favorable fetal growth conditions (FFGC) in pregnant women living with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in the Free State Province of SA. Sociodemographic characteristics, stress, health and nutrition-related information, and birth outcomes data were collected and analyzed from a subsample of 305 women enrolled in a cohort study from 2018−2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigher sociodemographic status is associated with adequate nutrient intake and food security. Adequate choline intake is vital during pregnancy to support fetal development. In this cross-sectional study, information was obtained from 682 pregnant women attending an ante-natal clinic in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The importance of adequate choline intake during pregnancy has been well documented, but low intake is common. Total choline intake, main food sources of choline, as well as associations between choline intake and egg and dairy consumption were determined in a sample of pregnant women attending the high-risk antenatal clinic at a regional hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used.