Zerfu Taddese Alemu, Biadgilign Sibhatu
1Maternal and Child Well Being Unit, African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
2Dilla University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences and Referral Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
BMC Nutr. 2018 Dec 20;4:43. doi: 10.1186/s40795-018-0251-x. eCollection 2018.
Mothers' nutrition is crucial for good pregnancy outcomes and in improving children's nutritional status. The present study aimed to examine the level of knowledge and attitude towards maternal nutrition and dietary diversity practices among pregnant mothers in rural central Ethiopia.
In-depth analysis of data from a prospective study involving a total of 389 eligible pregnant women, enrolled during their second antenatal care (ANC) visit was conducted between August 2014 and March 2015. Study participants were selected by employing systematic sampling techniques. Dietary diversity practices were assessed by asking each individual pregnant woman to provide a single 24-h dietary recall. Simple frequencies and graphs were used to present the analyzed data and interpretations.
Vegetables were listed top as major sources of vitamin A (45.5%) and iron (23.8%). Nearly half (47%) of the mothers lacked awareness on balanced and diversified diets. Conversely, nearly three fourths (73.8%) and two thirds (66.8%) of them had favorable attitudes towards dietary diversity and early initiation of antenatal care follow up. With a median dietary diversity score of four, starchy staples (100%), legumes and nuts (89.2%) were major food groups consumed by almost all of the mothers included in the study.
Though pregnant mothers had limited knowledge and poor dietary diversity practices, they exhibited a relatively favorable attitude towards major nutritional recommendations. Use of antenatal care and its follow up as a point of entry for educating pregnant women and increasing nutrition knowledge and attitude is recommended.
母亲的营养对于良好的妊娠结局以及改善儿童营养状况至关重要。本研究旨在调查埃塞俄比亚中部农村地区孕妇对孕产妇营养和饮食多样性做法的知识水平与态度。
对一项前瞻性研究的数据进行深入分析，该研究共纳入389名符合条件的孕妇，她们于2014年8月至2015年3月期间在第二次产前检查（ANC）就诊时登记入组。采用系统抽样技术选取研究参与者。通过要求每位孕妇提供一份24小时饮食回顾来评估饮食多样性做法。使用简单频率和图表来呈现分析数据及解读结果。
蔬菜被列为维生素A（45.5%）和铁（23.8%）的主要来源。近一半（47%）的母亲对均衡和多样化饮食缺乏认知。相反，近四分之三（73.8%）和三分之二（66.8%）的母亲对饮食多样性和尽早开始产前检查随访持积极态度。该研究纳入的几乎所有母亲的饮食多样性得分中位数为4，淀粉类主食（100%）、豆类和坚果（89.2%）是主要的食物类别。
尽管孕妇知识有限且饮食多样性做法欠佳，但她们对主要营养建议表现出相对积极的态度。建议将产前检查及其随访作为教育孕妇、提高营养知识和态度的切入点。
