Women Sought to Take Part in Nutrition Research Project

MASSEY University researcher Maria Holzer and her supervisor Jane Coad will be the first to use a new “BodPod” to measure volunteers in a study of the nutrition of women planning pregnancy.

They are seeking about 60 women between the ages of 20 and 40 who want to have a baby in the near future to take part in the study.

The research will look at the nutrition, smoking, alcohol and lifestyle patterns of the women, focussing on factors known to affect babies’ health and women’s ability to conceive.

The “BodPod”, the first of its kind in New Zealand, is a space capsule like shell used to assess body composition using air displacement technology.

The subject sits comfortably inside the capsule while computerised pressure sensors determine the amount of air displaced by the person’s body.

“Testing is highly accurate, safe and quick, with a complete analysis in about five minutes,” says Dr Coad, a senior lecturer in Human Nutrition.

Along with Ms Holzer, an Institute of Food Nutrition and Human Health masters student, she is interested in finding out more about the nutrition and lifestyles common among women before they become pregnant.

“While not all women in this age group are trying to conceive, there is research to show that up to 50 percent of pregnancies may be unplanned.

“So all women of reproductive age need to know how their lifestyle may affect any child they may conceive, whether intentionally or not.”