Nutritional supplementation of pregnant adolescents

Disadvantaged pregnant black teenagers have a higher proportion of low-birth-weight infants and their offspring have a lower mean birth weight. One hundred and fifty-seven pregnant adolescents enrolled in a Baltimore public school for pregnant teenagers were studied to determine the impact of a nutritional supplement on pregnancy outcome. Seventy-eight students voluntarily agreed to receive a nutritional supplement; 79 comparably matched students did not receive the supplement. The supplement Sustacal provided a mean intake of 8691 cal with 530 g of protein and additional vitamins and minerals over an average period of 15.1 weeks. This supplement was associated with a significant increase of 157 g in the mean infant birth weight (P<0.05). A significant increase in infant birth weight of 269 g was noted in the offspring of supplemented girls below 16 years of age compared with the nonsupplemented girls below this age (P<0.05). Significant differences in infant birth weight were also noted in the offspring of nonsmoking supplemented adolescents (P<0.05). The proportion of low-birth-weight infants was decreased in the supplemented subjects, but the difference was not significant.