Dietary practices and associated factors among pregnant women in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Optimal dietary practice is a critical requisite for maternal nutrition. However, the majority of Ethiopian pregnant women have inadequate nutrient intakes. These may be due to their poor dietary habits. Identifying factors affecting the dietary practices of pregnant women is crucial to design appropriate interventions. In this country, the dietary practices of pregnant women and determinants are not well studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the dietary practices and associated factors among pregnant women in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 712 pregnant women from May to August 2018. Quantitative data complemented with a qualitative method. Pregnant women were selected using a cluster sampling technique. Structured questionnaires were utilized for data collection. Data were entered into Epi-Info version 7.2.2 and exported to SPSS version 23 software for analysis. Data were described using frequencies and mean. A logistic regression analysis was done. For the qualitative data, three focus group discussions and 17 key-informant interviews were conducted. Focus group discussion participants were mothers, husbands and health professionals. Typical case and homogeneous sampling techniques were used for the key-informant interviews and focus group discussions, respectively. Qualitative data were collected using interview and focus group discussion guides. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. Results: Only 19.9% of respondents had appropriate dietary practices. On the multivariable logistic regression analyses, being food secure [AOR=2.25, 95% CI: (1.1, 4.5)], having high edible crop production [AOR=2.00, 95% CI: (1.2, 3.2)] and favorable attitude [AOR=1.69, 95% CI: (1.1, 2.6)] were significantly associated with the appropriate dietary practices of pregnant women. In the qualitative study lack of knowledge on maternal diet, cultural prohibition and knowledge gap of professionals were barriers that interfere with dietary practices during pregnancy. Conclusion: Pregnant women in the study area are found to have suboptimal dietary practices. Therefore, health professionals should give regular nutrition counseling using cards and role models for promoting diversified food production and consumption to meet the nutrient requirements during pregnancy.

Dietary Diversity, Nutritional Status, and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Their First Trimester of Pregnancy in Ambo District, Western Ethiopia

“…50 The possible explanation for this could be due to poor respondents' economic level that likely resulted in their consuming fewer diversified diets. 35,41 Another factor that was found to be associated with the dietary diversity of pregnant women was knowledge of nutrition and health. Pregnant women who had good nutrition and health knowledge were more likely to consume a diversified diet compared to their counterparts.…”

“…The highest tertile (or third tertile) was classified as having a favorable, if not unfavorable, attitude. 35 In the same way, the respondents were asked to choose between Yes or No for each of the nutrition and health practices, indicating whether or not they engaged in that particular practice. The factor scores were added up and divided into 3 groups called tertiles.…”