ABSTRACT
An intervention program was undertaken to assess dietary habits and the
impact of nutrition education among pregnant women in the rural county ofFlorina, northern Greece. Analysis ofdietary habits, nutrient intake, hemoglobin, and serum vitamin concentrations in an intervention and control group indicated that the population was adequately nourished although nutrient intake was below recommended levels for pregnant women. Nutrition counseling was associated with improvements in dietary intake and significantly greater maternal weight gain (p < 0.05). Mean birth weight was slightly higher in the intervention group but
so was the incidence oflow birth weight (4.5% vs 3.9%). The prematurity rate was marginally lower in the intervention group (p < 0.04), as was the number of perinatal deaths (9 vs 1 1). The results indicate that nutrition counseling during pregnancy can improve dietary intake and maternal weight gain but the mediating influence on low frequency pregnancy outcomes is indeterminate in a population that is not nutritionally at risk.