Nutritional adequacy and the role of supplements in the diets of Indigenous Australian women during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine sources of key nutrients contributing towards nutritional adequacy during pregnancy (fibre, calcium, iron, zinc and folate) in a cohort of women carrying an Indigenous child. DESIGN: Analysis of cross-sectional data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study that followed Indigenous women through pregnancy. SETTING: Women recruited via antenatal clinics in regional and remote locations in NSW, Australia as part of the Gomeroi gaaynggal project. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and fifty-two pregnant Australian women who identified as Indigenous or carrying an Indigenous child. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Measurement outcomes included demographic information, smoking status, anthropometrics (weight and height,), self-reported pre-pregnancy weight, health conditions and dietary information (24-hour food recall). Findings indicate the inadequate intake of key pregnancy nutrients in this cohort. Supplements contributed to the nutrient adequacy of the cohort with 53% reporting use. As expected, predominant sources of fibre were from core food groups, whereas calcium was attained from a range of sources including food and beverages, with small amounts from supplementation. Importantly, supplements contributed significant amounts of iron, zinc and folate. KEY CONCLUSIONS: There is limited literature on Indigenous Australian maternal nutrition. This study highlights the key dietary contributors of nutritional adequacy during pregnancy for the cohort and that supplementation may be considered a viable source of nutrients during pregnancy for these women. Few women met national nutrient recommendations. The findings present an opportunity to optimise nutrient intakes of Indigenous pregnant women. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Culturally appropriate targeted interventions to optimise dietary intakes of Indigenous Australian pregnant women is required. Collaborative support of health workers, Indigenous Australian communities, dietitians, and researchers to raise awareness of nutrition during pregnancy is imperative to achieving nutrient targets and optimising pregnancy outcomes. Targeted interventions provide positive opportunities to achieve improvements.

Factors influencing contraceptive use or non-use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

BACKGROUND: The Australian population has an unmet need for contraception. However, evidence suggests contraceptive patterns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are unique. To tailor contraceptive services and meet the contraceptive needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it is important to understand the contributing factors to contraceptive use and non-use. METHODS: This study aimed to systematically review and narratively synthesise the evidence exploring the factors influencing contraceptive use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A systematic literature search was initially run in September 2016 and was updated again in April and August of 2018. A qualitative narrative synthesis was conducted from 2018 to 2019. Factors influencing contraceptive use or non-use were explored using a Social Ecological Model. RESULTS: The review identified 17 studies meeting the inclusion criteria published between 1972 and 2018. Most of the included studies were qualitative (n = 11), with the remaining studies being mixed methods (n = 3) or quantitative (n = 3). The majority focused on either a localised geographic area or specific Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community (n = 11). One study specifically focused on factors influencing contraceptive use, albeit among postpartum women. The remaining studies discussed factors influencing contraceptive use within the context of risky behaviour, sexual transmitted infections, or contraceptive practices more generally. Factors unique to individual communities included community attitudes (e.g. importance of not being too young to have a baby), specific cultural norms (e.g. subincising the penis as part of transition to manhood), and access to culturally appropriate health services. Other factors, including contraceptive characteristics (e.g. discomfort of condoms) and reproductive coercion (e.g. partner wants a baby), were similar to those found in the broader population of Australia and internationally. Most studies were lacking in quality, warranting more methodologically sound studies in the future to further assess the factors contributing to contraceptive use or non-use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying community specific facilitators, as well as understanding the more broadly applicable factors contributing to contraceptive use or non-use, is essential if wanting to offer appropriate contraceptive services within an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community.

Contraception usage and the desired number of offspring of Indigenous women from the Gomeroi lands.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the current contraception usage patterns from a cohort of Australian Indigenous women, including their ideal family size and spacing between children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data (2012-2019). SETTING: Data are from a longitudinal study, the Gomeroi gaaynggal (babies from Gomeroi lands) program, based in rural and remote Gomeroi lands in New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS: Women carrying an Indigenous baby who enrolled during pregnancy were eligible for the study. The mother and child are then followed for up to 10 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Contraception usage in the postnatal period was recorded, as well as whether they were sexually active, whether they wanted more children and their preferred spacing between children. Medical, social and demographic information was also collected. These measures were self-reported via an online tool (Survey Monkey® ) at their first visit to the study following the birth of their child. RESULTS: Ninety-nine women were included in the analysis. Most women reported that they were sexually active at the time they were questioned about their contraceptive usage. The most popular contraception choices were condoms, the oral contraceptive pill and implant rods. Those answering that they did not want more children had a median of three children already. Those who wanted more children had a median of one child. The majority of the women stated that 2-3 years between babies was ideal. CONCLUSION: The sampled women had clear beliefs about their ideal family size, in which contraceptive usage played an important part.

The relationship between maternal adiposity during pregnancy and fetal kidney development and kidney function in infants: the Gomeroi gaaynggal study.

Maternal obesity during pregnancy has a detrimental impact on offspring renal development and function. This is pertinent to Indigenous Australians as they are twice as likely as non-Indigenous Australians to develop chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to examine whether there was an association between maternal adiposity and fetal kidney growth in late gestation (>28 weeks) and kidney function in infants, <2.5 years of age, from the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was recorded at the first prenatal visit and maternal adiposity indicators (percent body fat and visceral fat area) measured at >28 weeks gestation by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Fetal kidney structure was assessed by ultrasound. Renal function indicators (urinary albumin:creatinine and protein:creatinine) were measured in infants from a spot urine collection from nappies. Multiple linear regression and multi-level mixed effects linear regression models with clustering were used to account for repeated measures of urine. 147 mother-child pairs were examined. Estimated fetal weight (EFW), but not fetal kidney size, was positively associated with maternal adiposity and pre-pregnancy BMI. When adjusted for smoking, combined kidney volume relative to EFW was negatively associated with maternal percentage body fat. Infant kidney function was not influenced by maternal adiposity and pre-pregnancy BMI (n = 84 observations). Current findings show that Indigenous babies born to obese mothers have reduced kidney size relative to EFW. We suggest that these babies are experiencing a degree of glomerular hyperfiltration in utero, and therefore are at risk of developing CKD in later life, especially if their propensity for obesity is maintained. Although no impact on renal function was observed at <2.5 years of age, long-term follow-up of offspring is required to evaluate potential later life impacts.

Reprint of characterizing gestational weight gain in a cohort of indigenous Australian women.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the adequacy of gestational weight gain for a cohort of Indigenous Australian women and investigate whether it is associated with pre-pregnancy body mass index. DESIGN: analysis of observational data collected from a longitudinal cohort study that follows Indigenous Australian women through pregnancy. SETTING: women recruited through antenatal clinics in regional and remote towns in NSW, Australia to the Gomeroi gaaynggal program. PARTICIPANTS: 110 pregnant women who either identified as being an Indigenous Australian or as carrying an Indigenous child. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: measurements included weight and height, self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and smoking status, parity and health conditions that may contribute to gestational weight gain, such as hypertensive or diabetic disorders. Compared to the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations for gestational weight gain and based on pre-pregnancy body mass index, the rate of adequate gestational weight gain in this cohort was low (26%). 33% of women had inadequate weight gain and 41% had excessive weight gain. The highest rate of excessive gestational weight gain was found in overweight women (65%), with rates of 39% and 31% found in healthy and obese (all classes) categories, respectively. Parity (coefficient 4.2, p < 0.01) and hypertension (coefficient 4.3, p = 0.049) were found to be significantly associated with gestational weight gain in mixed model linear regression. CONCLUSIONS: few women gained adequate gestational weight gain in this study. Culturally acceptable ways of addressing this issue are needed for this group of women, as inadequate and excessive rates of gestational weight gain have health implications for women and their offspring. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: a systematic approach to addressing gestational weight gain within antenatal care is required, including asking about diet and exercise, for all women identifying as Indigenous Australian.

Urinary angiotensinogen excretion in Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous pregnant women.

The intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (iRAS) is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension, chronic kidney disease and diabetic nephropathy. Urinary angiotensinogen (uAGT) levels reflect the activity of the iRAS and are altered in women with preeclampsia. Since Indigenous Australians suffer high rates and early onset of renal disease, we hypothesised that Indigenous Australian pregnant women, like non-Indigenous women with pregnancy complications, would have altered uAGT levels. The excretion of RAS proteins was measured in non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australian women with uncomplicated or complicated pregnancies (preeclampsia, diabetes/gestational diabetes, proteinuria/albuminuria, hypertension, small/large for gestational age, preterm birth), and in non-pregnant non-Indigenous women. Non-Indigenous pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancies, had higher uAGT/creatinine levels than non-Indigenous non-pregnant women (P < 0.01), and levels increased as pregnancy progressed (P < 0.001). In non-Indigenous pregnant women with pregnancy complications, uAGT/creatinine was suppressed in the third trimester (P < 0.01). In Indigenous pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancies, there was no change in uAGT/creatinine with gestational age and uAGT/creatinine was lower in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters than in non-Indigenous pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancies (P < 0.03, P < 0.007, respectively). The uAGT/creatinine ratios of Indigenous women with uncomplicated or complicated pregnancies were the same. A decrease in uAGT/creatinine with advancing gestational age was associated with increased urinary albumin/creatinine, as is seen in preeclampsia, but it was not specific for this disorder. The reduced uAGT/creatinine in Indigenous pregnant women may reflect subclinical renal dysfunction which limits the ability of the kidney to maintain sodium balance and could indicate an increased risk of pregnancy complications and/or future renal disease.

Characterizing gestational weight gain in a cohort of Indigenous Australian women.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the adequacy of gestational weight gain for a cohort of Indigenous Australian women and investigate whether it is associated with pre-pregnancy body mass index. DESIGN: analysis of observational data collected from a longitudinal cohort study that follows Indigenous Australian women through pregnancy. SETTING: women recruited through antenatal clinics in regional and remote towns in NSW, Australia to the Gomeroi gaaynggal program. PARTICIPANTS: 110 pregnant women who either identified as being an Indigenous Australian or as carrying an Indigenous child. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: measurements included weight and height, self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and smoking status, parity and health conditions that may contribute to gestational weight gain, such as hypertensive or diabetic disorders. Compared to the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations for gestational weight gain and based on prepregnancy body mass index, the rate of adequate gestational weight gain in this cohort was very low (15%). 32% of women had inadequate weight gain and 54% had excessive weight gain. The highest rate of excessive gestational weight gain was found in overweight women (74%), with rates of 48% and 50% found in healthy and obese (all classes) categories, respectively. Parity (coefficient 4.5, p<0.01) and hypertension (coefficient 4.8, p = 0.04) were found to be significantly associated with gestational weight gain in mixed model linear regression. CONCLUSIONS: few women gained adequate gestational weight gain in this study. Culturally acceptable ways of addressing this issue are needed for this group of women, as inadequate and excessive rates of gestational weight gain have health implications for women and their offspring. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: a systematic approach to addressing gestational weight gain within antenatal care is required, including asking about diet and exercise, for all women identifying as Indigenous Australian.

Reference Intervals for Non-Fasting CVD Lipids and Inflammation Markers in Pregnant Indigenous Australian Women.

Indigenous Australians experience high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The origins of CVD may commence during pregnancy, yet few serum reference values for CVD biomarkers exist specific to the pregnancy period. The Gomeroi gaaynggal research project is a program that undertakes research and provides some health services to pregnant Indigenous women. Three hundred and ninety-nine non-fasting samples provided by the study participants (206 pregnancies and 175 women) have been used to construct reference intervals for CVD biomarkers during this critical time. A pragmatic design was used, in that women were not excluded for the presence of chronic or acute health states. Percentile bands for non-linear relationships were constructed according to the methods of Wright and Royston (2008), using the xriml package in StataIC 13.1. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides, cystatin-C and alkaline phosphatase increased as gestational age progressed, with little change seen in high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and γ glutamyl transferase. Values provided in the reference intervals are consistent with findings from other research projects. These reference intervals will form a basis with which future CVD biomarkers for pregnant Indigenous Australian women can be compared.

Assessment of Fetal Kidney Growth and Birth Weight in an Indigenous Australian Cohort.

Introduction: Indigenous Australians experience higher rates of renal disease and hypertension than non-Indigenous Australians. Low birth weight is recognized as a contributing factor in chronic disease and has been shown to increase the risk of renal failure in adulthood. A smaller kidney volume with fewer nephrons places an individual at risk of hypertension and renal failure. Indigenous Australians have fewer nephrons than non-Indigenous Australians. In this study, intrauterine fetal and kidney growth were evaluated in 174 Indigenous Australian babies throughout gestation in order to record and evaluate fetal growth and kidney size, within a population that is at high risk for chronic illness. Methods: Pregnant women that identified as Indigenous, or non-Indigenous women that were pregnant with a partner who identified as an Indigenous Australian were eligible to participate. Maternal history, smoking status, blood and urine samples and fetal ultrasounds were collected throughout pregnancy. Fetal kidney measurements were collected using ultrasound. Statistical analysis was performed using the Stata 14.1 software package. Results: 15.2% of babies were born prematurely. 44% of the mothers reported smoking in pregnancy. The median birth weight of this cohort was 3,240 g. Male fetuses had higher kidney to body weight ratios than female fetuses (P = 0.02). The birth weights of term neonates whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were lower (327 g, P < 0.001) than the birth weights of term babies from non-smoking mothers. The kidney volumes of babies whose mothers smoked were also smaller (P = 0.02), but were in proportion to body weight. Conclusion: In this cohort of Indigenous women smoking was associated with both increased number of preterm births and with a reduction in birth weights, even of term infants. Since kidney volume is a surrogate measure of nephron number and nephrogenesis is complete at birth, babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy must have fewer nephrons than those from non-smoking mothers. Previous studies have shown that glomerular filtration rate is not related to birth weight, thus infants with smaller kidney volumes are hyperfiltering from birth and therefore are likely to be more susceptible to early onset renal disease in later life.