Abstract:
Background: Adequate maternal nutrition is one of the best ways to ensure maternal and fetal wellbeing.. It
further determines the health of the offspring throughout the lifecycle and prevents adverse health outcomes
from the upcoming generation. Maternal achievement of optimal diet is one of the main targets for nutrition
and public health interventions across the health sector. Thus, continuous monitoring of dietary and
nutritional conditions of pregnant women should undertaken critically at all time and setting.
Objective: This study is aimed at assessing the dietary practice and nutritional status and identify their
associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care service of Mettu Karl Hospital,
southwest Ethiopia.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2018. Systematic
random sampling technique was employed to select 378 study participants. Data were collected by face to
face interview using semi-structured questionnaire. Women Dietary Diversity Score (WDDS) was measured
using a qualitative 24-hr dietary recall and nutritional status was assessed by Mid-upper arm circumference
measurements. Logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors significantly associated with dietary
practice and under-nutrition.
Result: The prevalence of sub-optimal dietary practices was 22% and that of under-nutrition was
17.5%.Family size >5 [AOR=8.2, 95%CI: 12.383, 46.217] and severe food insecurity [AOR=3.661 1.289,
10.394] were significantly associated with sub-optimal dietary practice. Being non married woman[AOR=
3.188, 95% CI: 1.219, 8.336], lack of formal education [AOR=9.405, 95%CI: 1.079, 81.943], lack of iron
supplementation [AOR=3.189, 95%CI: 1.513, 6.720], WDDS <6 [AOR= 4.057, 95% CI: 2.157, 7.634], not
taking additional meal (3+) [AOR=2.267, 95%CI: 1.211, 4.244], skipping meal [AOR=3.856, 95%CI: 1.099,
13.530] were significantly associated with under-nutrition.
Conclusion and recommendation: The present study revealed that there is a relative burden of suboptimal
dietary practice and under nutrition among the studied participants. Predictors identified for suboptimal
dietary practice were family size and household food insecurity . Similarly, under nutrition among the studied
pregnant women was predicted by marital status, educational status, Iron supplementation, additional meal
intake and meal skipping. Strategies to improve dietary practice and nutritional status of pregnant women
should be designed at different levels of concerned bodies and other stakeholders considering factors
identified in this study
