Life (Jun 2023)

Pre- and Postnatal Determinants Shaping the Microbiome of the Newborn in the Opinion of Pregnant Women from Silesia (Poland)

  • Karolina Krupa-Kotara,
  • Mateusz Grajek,
  • Martina Grot,
  • Martina Czarnota,
  • Agata Wypych-Ślusarska,
  • Klaudia Oleksiuk,
  • Joanna Głogowska-Ligus,
  • Jerzy Słowiński

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/life13061383
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 6
p. 1383

Abstract

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Pre- and postnatal factors influence the formation of the newborn’s microbiome as early as birth and the intrauterine period has a substantial impact on the composition of the baby’s gastrointestinal microbiota and its subsequent development. This study intends to measure pregnant women’s knowledge of the importance of microbiota for the health of the newborn. The sample was selected based on defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The assessment of women’s knowledge was assessed by the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Kruskal–Wallis statistical tests. This study population comprised 291 adult pregnant women with a mean age of 28.4 ± 4.7 years. A total of 34% (n = 99), 35% (n = 101), and 31.3% (n = 91) were at the 1–3 trimester, respectively. The results showed that 36.4% of the women were aware that the intrauterine period changes the makeup of the gastrointestinal microbiota, whereas 5.8% exhibited awareness of the composition of the child’s normal gut microbiota. Most of the women surveyed—(72.1%)—know that colonization of the tract occurs as early as the birth period. Women with student status (those who will pursue higher education in the future) and those who had given birth to the most children exhibited higher levels of knowledge.

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