Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Mar 27;22(1):256. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04593-3.
Dietary related misconceptions during pregnancy affect the heath of mothers and their growing babies. Misconceptions vary from place to place and from community to community. Understanding of a given community's food perceptions during pregnancy helps policy makers able to design cultural appropriate interventions. In Ethiopia, however, evidences on food beliefs and perceptions during pregnancy are limited. Therefore, this study is aimed at qualitatively assessing community food beliefs during pregnancy in rural kebeles of Ofla Woreda, Northern Ethiopia.
We conducted 10 in-depth interviews (n = 10) and four focus group discussions (n = 32) among purposively selected community groups including pregnant mothers, religious leaders, and elders in rural kebeles of Ofla Woreda, Northern Ethiopia. Data were transcribed word-for-word, translated into English, and uploaded into ATLAST ti version 7.5.1.6. Data were analyzed following the principles of thematic analysis. Line-by-line coding was applied to identify codes; identified codes were categorized based on their similarities and differences and themes were developed inductively.
Three main themes were identified inductively; foods positively and negatively linked with pregnancy; perceived benefits and harms of alcoholic drinks during pregnancy; and religion and fasting. In this study, consumptions of animal source foods such as egg were discouraged because such foods were perceived to increase the risk of having big baby that could delay delivery. However, intakes of locally produced alcoholic drinks during pregnancy were encouraged by the local community. Furthermore, avoidance of animal source foods and meal skipping during religious fasting-periods were also common practices among pregnant mothers in the study area.
This study explored misconceptions on food intakes during pregnancy. Positive attitude towards intake of "soft" alcoholic drinks might result in alcohol related teratogenic effects. Restriction on the intakes of nutrient rich diets due to religious fasting and other misconceptions would lead to insufficient nutrient intake both to the mothers and their growing fetus. Culturally appropriate intervention to improve awareness on healthy dietary intake during pregnancy is needed.
孕期与饮食相关的误解会影响母亲及其胎儿的健康。误解因地点和社区而异。了解特定社区在孕期的食物认知有助于政策制定者制定文化适宜的干预措施。然而，在埃塞俄比亚，有关孕期食物信念和认知的证据有限。因此，本研究旨在定性评估奥弗拉县农村地区社区在孕期的食物信念。
我们在奥弗拉县农村地区进行了 10 次深入访谈（n=10）和 4 次焦点小组讨论（n=32），参与者包括孕妇、宗教领袖和老年人等社区群体。数据逐字转录、翻译成英文，并上传至 ATLAST ti 版本 7.5.1.6。数据采用主题分析原则进行分析。应用逐行编码识别代码；根据相似性和差异性对识别出的代码进行分类，并归纳主题。
我们归纳出三个主要主题：与孕期相关的正面和负面食物；孕期饮酒的感知益处和危害；宗教和斋戒。在本研究中，动物源食品（如鸡蛋）的摄入受到限制，因为这类食物被认为会增加胎儿过大的风险，从而导致分娩延迟。然而，当地社区鼓励孕妇在孕期摄入当地生产的含酒精饮料。此外，在宗教斋戒期间避免食用动物源食物和不吃饭也是该研究地区孕妇的常见做法。
本研究探讨了孕期食物摄入的误解。对“软”酒精饮料摄入的积极态度可能会导致与酒精相关的致畸作用。由于宗教斋戒和其他误解而限制营养丰富的饮食摄入会导致母亲和胎儿营养摄入不足。需要采取文化适宜的干预措施来提高对孕期健康饮食的认识。
