dietary practice and nutritional status and associated factors among pregnant women attending mettu karl hospital, southwest Ethiopia

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