As indicated in the opening paragraph ( p1 ) , - promotion of better maternal nutrition can help with the achievement of health targets set out by the DOH in their "Health of The Nation : A Strategy for Health in England " . I have found nine key areas where movement towards declared targets may be assisted at least somewhat by such nutritional improvement.

1} To reduce CHD and stroke for under-65s by 40% between 1990 and 2000 .

Heart disease is a leading cause of nonobstetric maternal mortality and every pregnancy taxes the cardiovascular system. Upto ~ 2% (1990s) of women are found to be suffering some form of heart disease during pregnancy . Diet modifications involving control of sodium (salt) and calorie intake in order to lower hypertension may be continued postnatally together with additional measures to reduce the likelihood of more serious disease later in life.

2} To reduce mean systolic blood pressure in the adult population by > 5mm Hg by year 2005 .

Women who have worked at reducing Pregnancy Induced Hypertension, reducing the risk of (pre)eclampsia in order to secure a safer parturition are likely to be responsive to a continued need for keeping their blood pressure at a lower healthier level.

3} To reduce by >33% (between 1986 and 2005) the numbers of women aged 16-64 who are obese .

During pregnancy women are offered advice on intelligent dieting to optimize their bodyweight, and it is likely that this health education will continue to be of some use also in later years.

4} To reduce average food energy derived by the population from saturated fatty acids by >35% .
          Notes as for 3       fats & fat replacers

5}To reduce peoples average % of food energy derived from total fat by >12% (1990-2005) .

Notes as for 3      the fats of life

6} To reduce by > 4% the number of women drinking more than 14 units of alcohol weekly (1990-2005)

For those women able to follow the recommended reduction of alcohol intake during pregnancy it is very possible that at least some will continue to drink at more moderate levels subsequently.

7} To reduce women's under age 75 death rate for lung cancer by 15% (1990-2010) .

During pregnancy women are encouraged to cut back on smoking, and if able to continue with lower body levels of nicotine in later years (i.e. through smoking less) then there should also be less likelihood of developing lung cancer.

8} At least a third of women smokers to stop smoking at start of their pregnancy by year 2000 .

A reduced ingestion of the alkaloid nicotine may be regarded as a nutritional improvement !

9} To reduce death rate for accidents among ages 15-24 by > 25% (1990-2005) .

Reduced intake of alcohol and some other types of drugs during pregnancy could be associated with lowering vulnerability to accidents.

Although improvements consequent upon further optimisation of women's nutrition during pregnancy are likely to be significant for only a minority of gravidae in the U.K. (thanks to the already quite good figures) - nevertheless there will continue to be some movement towards targets defined in " Health of The Nation : A Strategy for Health in England " . Likewise , I have found seven targets of the U.S."Healthy People 2000" initiative which will be made more reachable through continuing with a programme of optimisation of maternal nutrition . Improvements in outcome are most likely to be more noticable for certain specific groups of mothers, e.g. the very poor , for teenagers, the obese , or for those suffering from other specific medical conditions.