Background: One of the factors determining the survival and neonatal health is maternal proper nutrition during pregnancy. The aim of the present study is to determine the maternal nutritional status with a view to the intake of some nutrients and its effect on anthropometric indices of newborn .
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional analytical study, 500 pregnant women referred to Sina maternity hospital in Ahvaz were studied. Dietary intake of calcium, zinc, iron, vitamin D was measured and its relation to average weight, length and head circumference at birth in infants was evaluated. Data were analyzed by using Independent T-Test in SPSS 17. P-value less than 5% was considered statistically significant.
Results: There was a significant correlation between calcium intake rate, weight and length at birth. Between zinc intake rate, weight, length and head circumference at birth, there was a significant correlation. The maternal intake of vitamin D affected on birth weight(p<0/05). But, there was no significant association between iron intake rate and neonatal anthropometric indicators(p>0/05).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the maternal nutritional intake of calcium, zinc and vitamin D influences on some infant anthropometric indicators.