ABSTRACT An intervention program was undertaken to assess dietary habits and the
impact ofnutrition 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.