Prevalence of pica among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in a tertiary facility in Nigeria

Abstract

One of the unusual symptoms observed among pregnant women is the aversion for non-food substances like sand, clay and ice. Pica is a form of eating disorder characterised by these symptoms. It occurs commonly in children and among pregnant women. This study aims to determine the prevalence and associated factors for Pica among booked patients in our institution. A prospective study was conducted among pregnant women at booking aged 11-45 years at the ATB University teaching Hospital Bauchi between 1st February to 31st of July 2019. All pregnant women who gave their consent were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire. The biodata, risk factors for Pica, occurrence in childhood and other social habits were recorded. The result showed a prevalence rate of pica at 38.9% with a craving for ice (18.7%), sand (14.7%) and others (55.11%). Pica was observed more in the day time (afternoon and evening) and most women having pica had a low level of education. Even though the prevalence of Pica appeared low in our environment, adequate counselling and appropriate treatment of women with this condition should be given more priority.

Covariates of Pica among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Kawempe Hospital, Kampala, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Pagophagia was the second most common form of pica reported in our study. This is similar to what was found by Boadu et al 29 in Ghana, Ahmed et al 25 in Sudan, and Aminu et al 31 in Nigeria. However, it differs from what was found by Ezzeddin et al 22 and Bhatia et al 32 in which pagophagia was the most form of pica used by the women.…”

“…2 Alternatively, this may be due to differences in immune function throughout pregnancy. 40 Similar to what was found by Aminu et al, 31 Mensah et al, 41 Miller et al, 13 and Young, 1 in our study there was a strong association between pica and nausea. It has been noted by some workers that women develop the pica habit to reduce the gastrointestinal distresses like nausea and vomiting.…”

“…Cultural beliefs promote the eating of soil as opposed to ice because it is readily available as was found in a study in Uganda. 19 Unlike other studies in Nigeria 31 and India, 33 the eating of other nonfood items like cigarette butts, baby powder, needles, coins was not common in this study. Similar to what was found by Garg and Sharma 34 and Lopez and others, 35 most participants consumed these nonfood items daily.…”

Food Aversion, Pica And Cravings Practices And Its Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care In Nifas Silk Sub-City Health Facilities, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021

“…Worldwide the pica prevalence in pregnant populations was estimated to be 27.8% [8].Although pica behavior is practiced globally, it is more prevalent within African countries which range from8.3% to 63.7% [5,[8][9][10][11][12][13]. The prevalence of food aversion and craving alsoranges from 50.3% to 70.1% and 15.2 in Africa respectively.…”

“…The prevalence of food aversion and craving alsoranges from 50.3% to 70.1% and 15.2 in Africa respectively. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14].In Ethiopia the prevalence of pica practice was 30.4%, food aversion ranges from 65% to 67.9% and food craving ranges 43.5% to 71% [5,7] Pica has puzzled researchersfor a long time. It cuts across different cultures and religions.…”