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800 JOGNN Volume 33, Number 6

We are what we eat, so what should we eat?Are low-carbohydrate diets safe? Are high-carbohy-drate diets safe? Should we worry about what weeat?

Nutrition and obesity have received considerableattention in both the professional and lay pressrecently. More than 64% of the U.S. population isoverweight, more women than men are overweight(Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, & Johnson, 2002), andwomen play a crucial role in providing nutrition forfamilies (Harnack, Story, Martinson, Neumark-Sztainer, & Stang, 1998). Therefore, the topic ofnutrition is very pertinent to nurses who care forwomen and their newborns. The next two series ofClinical Issues include current information to helpguide nursing practice of those who care for bothwomen and infants. The first set of articles focuseson women across the life span, and the articlesscheduled to appear in the next issue of JOGNNaddress nutritional information relevant to new-borns and breastfeeding mothers.

The increasing number of adolescents who areoverweight and obese is of considerable concern tohealth care providers, and there is an urgent need toidentify appropriate methods to arrest this increase.Interventions that are effective in increasing physicalactivity can decrease overweight and obesity inteens. In the first article in this series, Clemmens andHayman review the evidence on physical activityinterventions with adolescent girls in the UnitedStates and Canada. They conclude that considerablework remains in developing interventions that havean enduring effect, but multicomponent school-based interventions show promise.

Weight and appropriate nutrition also are of con-cern during pregnancy. Fowles reviews current nutri-tional recommendations for pregnant women and

discusses the consequences of inadequate nutritionalintake. She explains the effect on birth outcomes oflow and high weight gain and the insufficient intakeof macro- and micronutrients. She offers strategiesfor nutritional guidance of women with a range ofdietary needs.

In the final article, Morin, Stark, and Searing dis-cuss some of the consequences of obesity and reviewdiets in relation to diseases such as osteoporosis,breast and colon cancer, and heart disease, whichhave particular relevance to women. They addressbarriers to healthy eating, including social and psy-chological roles of food in women’s lives. For exam-ple, food can be used by women to garner favor, andwomen may not wish to follow current nutritionalguidelines if they perceive them as limiting their abil-ity to earn positive attention by preparing and pro-viding traditional dishes and treats.

These three articles provide information and cur-rent evidence-based recommendations that you canuse in your practice to assess the nutritional healthof your clients. Use the information often, for yourclients and for yourself. Happy reading!

Karen H. MorinGuest Editor

REFERENCES

Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Johnson,C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in obesityamong US adults, 1999-2000. Journal of the Amer-ican Medical Association, 288, 1723-1727.

Harnack, L., Story, M., Martinson, B., Neumark-Sztainer,D., & Stang, J. (1998). Guess who’s cooking? Therole of men in meal planning, shopping, and prepa-ration in US families. Journal of the AmericanDietetic Association, 98, 995-1000.

CLINICAL ISSUES

Nutrition in Women and Newborns