# Dietary and related data collected during pregnancy in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

## TL;DR

This study collected detailed dietary data from pregnant women in the UK to explore how maternal diet affects child development and long-term health.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive dataset of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy linked to a rich resource of health and lifestyle data.

## Key findings

- Dietary patterns were derived using principal components analysis from detailed food frequency questionnaires.
- The dataset includes daily nutrient intakes for 11,978 participants, enabling long-term health and development research.
- The data are integrated with diverse ALSPAC resources for studying maternal diet and life course outcomes.

## Abstract

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a longitudinal birth cohort study based in the south-west of the UK. Pregnant women resident in and around the city of Bristol with expected delivery dates between 1 April 1991 and 31 December 1992 were invited to take part. The initial number of pregnancies enrolled was 14,541. Four questionnaires were sent to women through the post during pregnancy (including a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at 32 weeks) for self-completion; excluding withdrawals and exclusions, 11,978 FFQ records are available (April 2024). The main part of the FFQ at 32 weeks comprised questions on the weekly frequency of consumption of 43 food groups and food items. More detailed questions covered a further eight foods/drinks normally consumed daily. The data were used to derive daily nutrient intakes for each participant. Dietary patterns were derived using principal components analysis. Together with the diverse ALSPAC resource containing detailed data on demographics, lifestyle, environment, genetics and health, these data form a unique resource for the study of: (1) maternal diet in pregnancy, fetal/child development and their life course; (2) women’s diet and their life course.