Etea Tizita Dengia, Yalew Alemayehu Worku, Sisay Mitike Molla, Shiferaw Solomon
Department of Public Health, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia.
School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Front Glob Womens Health. 2023 Jun 19;4:1147192. doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2023.1147192. eCollection 2023.
Considerable proportions of pregnant women are affected by poor nutrition outcomes in Ethiopia. Women's empowerment, on the other hand, is highly recognized as a means to achieve better maternal nutrition outcomes. However, the role of pregnant women's empowerment in nutritional status during pregnancy has not been empirically examined in Ethiopia. This study aimed to address this gap.
To assess the association of individual and composite women's empowerment dimensions with pregnant women's nutrition outcomes in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia.
A health facility-based cross-sectional study was performed on 1,453 pregnant women living in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia, in 2021. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on half of the samples to identify and validate dimensions of pregnant women's empowerment. The associations between pregnant women's empowerment dimensions and anemia status and mid upper arm circumference levels were examined by logistic regressions.
Composite pregnant women's empowerment was positively associated with both anemia status and mid-upper-arm circumference level. The odds of not being anemic were higher among pregnant women empowered in economic [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26, 2.22] and assertiveness (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.38) dimensions than those not empowered in these dimensions. Empowered pregnant women in household decision-making (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.22) and psychological (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.85) dimensions had higher odds of having normal mid-upper-arm circumference measures than those not empowered in the respective dimensions. Communication and time dimensions were not significantly associated with any of the nutrition outcomes.
This study suggests that empowered pregnant women are nutritionally better off than their less empowered counterparts. This is also important in child health outcomes. Policies and programs that aim to improve maternal and child health in the study area need to consider interventions that promote the decision-making power, economic, psychological, and assertiveness dimensions of pregnant women.
在埃塞俄比亚，相当一部分孕妇受到营养状况不佳的影响。另一方面，妇女赋权被高度认可为实现更好的孕产妇营养成果的一种手段。然而，在埃塞俄比亚，孕妇赋权在孕期营养状况方面的作用尚未得到实证检验。本研究旨在填补这一空白。
评估埃塞俄比亚西谢瓦地区个体和综合妇女赋权维度与孕妇营养成果之间的关联。
2021年，对埃塞俄比亚西谢瓦地区的1453名孕妇进行了一项基于医疗机构的横断面研究。对一半样本进行探索性和验证性因素分析，以识别和验证孕妇赋权的维度。通过逻辑回归分析孕妇赋权维度与贫血状况及上臂中段周长水平之间的关联。
综合孕妇赋权与贫血状况和上臂中段周长水平均呈正相关。在经济赋权（调整优势比[AOR]=1.7，95%置信区间[CI]：1.26，2.22）和自信赋权（AOR=1.9，95%CI：1.46，2.38）维度上赋权的孕妇，非贫血的几率高于未在这些维度上赋权的孕妇。在家庭决策赋权（AOR=1.6，95%CI：1.19，2.22）和心理赋权（AOR=1.4，95%CI：1.04，1.85）维度上赋权的孕妇，上臂中段周长测量正常的几率高于未在相应维度上赋权的孕妇。沟通和时间维度与任何营养成果均无显著关联。
本研究表明，赋权孕妇在营养方面比赋权较少的孕妇状况更好。这对儿童健康结果也很重要。旨在改善研究地区孕产妇和儿童健康的政策和项目需要考虑促进孕妇决策权、经济、心理和自信维度的干预措施。
