Micronutrient Intake, Supplementation Practices and Lifestyle Among Pregnant Women in Greece: A Review
Source abstract
Abstract
Adequate nutrition and healthy behaviours during pregnancy are essential to maternal and neonatal health. Evidence from Greece on maternal dietary and lifestyle practices remains limited, despite global guidelines promoting supplementation, physical activity (PA) and abstinence from harmful substances. This review evaluates micronutrient intake, supplementation practices, PA and substance exposure among pregnant women in Greece, based on studies from 2010 to 2025. The results reveal widespread use of supplements, but frequent deviations from clinical guidelines. Suboptimal intake of key micronutrients remains common, and unsupervised supplementation raises concerns about excessive intake. Caffeine and tobacco use persist during pregnancy and lactation, while alcohol consumption shows a declining trend. PA is generally below international recommendations, with most pregnant women engaging in sedentary or low-intensity activities. These findings underscore systemic gaps in antenatal care in Greece, including inconsistent counselling, lack of structured screening and the absence of coordinated national strategies. Culturally tailored public health interventions, with a focus on equitable access and behaviour change support, are urgently needed to enhance nutritional adequacy, reduce behavioural risks and promote evidence-based care across the perinatal period.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Gestational Diabetes Research and Management · Folate and B Vitamins Research · Pregnancy and Medication Impact
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Dietetics Department, School of Health Sciences, Metropolitan College, Sorou 74, 151 25 Maroussi, Greece
Unit of Human Nutrition, Laboratory of Nutrition and Public Health, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, 814 00 Myrina, Greece
References (82)
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