Table 2.
Energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient intake in women categorized by their time since childbirth.
| Early Postpartum (0–6 Months) n = 558 |
Late Postpartum (7–12 Months) n = 547 |
Women >12 Months post Childbirth n = 3430 |
p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (KJ/day) | 7879.5 (2357.6) | 7720.7 (2294.8) | 7088.0 (2304.0) | <0.001 * |
| Energy (Kcal) | 1883.2 (563.5) | 1845.3 (548.5) | 1694.1 (550.7) | <0.001 * |
| Protein (g/day) | 90.1 (27.7) | 91.5 (29) | 83.9 (28.8) | <0.001 * |
| Protein (% energy) | 19.9 (3.0) | 20.8 (3.1) | 21.1 (3.4) | <0.001 ** |
| Carbohydrate (g/day) | 201.8 (65.4) | 189.2 (59.5) | 169.5 (59.4) | <0.001 *** |
| Carbohydrate (% energy) | 41.6 (4.8) | 40.1 (4.7) | 39.6 (5.6) | <0.001 ** |
| Fat (g/day) | 77.5 (26.7) | 76.5 (26.3) | 69.8 (26.6) | <0.001 * |
| Fat (% energy) | 36.7 (4.6) | 37.3 (4.1) | 37.6 (4.9) | 0.0003 **** |
| Saturated fat (g/day) | 33.2 (12.6) | 32.4 (12.1) | 29.6 (12.2) | <0.001 * |
| Saturated fat (% energy) | 15.7 (3.1) | 15.8 (2.7) | 15.9 (3.0) | 0.409 |
| Monounsaturated fat (g/day) | 27.1 (9.6) | 27.1 (9.6) | 24.8 (9.7) | <0.001 * |
| Monounsaturated fat (% energy) | 12.6 (1.8) | 12.9 (1.8) | 12.8 (2.0) | 0.097 |
| Polyunsaturated fat (g/day) | 10.4 (4.7) | 10.4 (4.5) | 9.3 (4.3) | <0.001 * |
| Polyunsaturated fat (% energy) | 4.9 (1.6) | 5.0 (1.5) | 4.8 (1.5) | 0.062 |
| Alcohol (g/day) | 3.7 (6.6) | 5.9 (9.7) | 8.6 (12.8) | <0.001 *** |
| Fiber (g/day) | 21.7 (7.8) | 21.2 (7.1) | 18.6 (6.8) | <0.001 * |
| Cholesterol (mg/day) | 282.0 (106.5) | 289.7 (107.7) | 273.0 (110.9) | 0.002 ***** |
| Glycemic index | 51.2 (3.7) | 50.9 (3.7) | 51.4 (4.1) | 0.031 ***** |
| Glycemic load | 103.4 (35.9) | 96.5 (33.0) | 87.1 (33.5) | <0.001 *** |
| Calcium (mg/day) | 990.1 (314.8) | 946.2 (296.1) | 842.3 (281.0) | <0.001 *** |
| Iron (mg/day) | 13.5 (5.0) | 13.4 (4.9) | 11.7 (4.5) | <0.001 * |
| Folate (µg/day) | 281.8 (96.3) | 275.6 (92.6) | 239.6 (84.7) | <0.001 * |
| Sodium (mg/day) | 2514.8 (820.0) | 2503.9 (832.1) | 2305.5 (838.0) | <0.001 * |
| Zinc (mg/day) | 11.9 (3.8) | 12.0 (3.9) | 11.0 (4.0) | <0.001 * |
| Magnesium (mg/day) | 303.4 (96.2) | 296.2 (89.8) | 260.7 (84.4) | <0.001 * |
| Phosphorus (mg/day) | 1601.1 (477.6) | 1576.7 (457.9) | 1414.1 (444.9) | <0.001 * |
| Potassium (mg/day) | 2885.6 (801.4) | 2841.9 (795.8) | 2564.6 (755.4) | <0.001 * |
| Beta-carotene (µg/day) | 2648.9 (1234.9) | 2821.5 (1369.2) | 2572.9 (1227.3) | <0.001 ***** |
| Niacin (mg/day) | 22.3 (8.2) | 22.4 (8.2) | 19.5 (7.6) | <0.001 * |
| Retinol (µg/day) | 371.6 (155.3) | 357.8 (149.5) | 318.3 (145.4) | <0.001 * |
| Riboflavin (mg/day) | 2.6 (0.94) | 2.6 (0.89) | 2.2 (0.83) | <0.001 * |
| Thiamin (mg/day) | 1.6 (0.63) | 1.6 (0.61) | 1.3 (0.56) | <0.001 * |
| Vitamin C (mg/day) | 121.2 (64.0) | 108.8 (57.8) | 101.5 (52.5) | <0.001 *** |
| Vitamin E (mg/day) | 6.3 (2.3) | 6.2 (2.2) | 5.5 (2.1) | <0.001 * |
Data are presented as mean (standard deviation). Data were analyzed by ANOVA. * Statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between early postpartum compared to women >12 months post childbirth and late postpartum compared to women >12 months post childbirth. ** Statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between early postpartum compared to late postpartum and early postpartum compared to women >12 months post childbirth. *** Statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between all three groups. **** Statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between early postpartum compared to women >12 months post childbirth. ***** Statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between late postpartum compared to women >12 months post childbirth.