Acire Peter Vivian, Bagonza Arthur, Opiri Nicolas
Department of Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda.
College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
BMC Nutr. 2023 Nov 6;9(1):126. doi: 10.1186/s40795-023-00789-8.
In developing countries, the practice of food taboo is pervasive. The types of foods considered as taboos and the reasons attached to taboos vary from society to society. Food taboos have been recognized as one of the factors contributing to maternal undernutrition in pregnancy, especially in rural settings. In the rural Acholi community where malnutrition is prevalent, very little is known about these food taboos and misbeliefs. This study, therefore, aims to explore various misbeliefs and food taboos in the time of pregnancy that can influence maternal and child nutrition outcomes in Acholi.
A community-based qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2022 in five districts in the Acholi subregion. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) were used to collect data. Data transcription was done verbatim, organised into themes, assigned unique color codes, and manually analysed thematically.
Upon scrutiny of the transcripts, three themes were eminent. The first theme focused on foods that are considered taboos in Acholi community and the reasons linked to them. Participants indicated offals, chicken, wild birds, smoked meat and fish, sugarcane, garden egg ('Tula'), groundnut, bush meat, mushrooms, honey, sour fruits, or meals (oranges, mango, passion fruits, lemon, tamarind, 'Malakwang'), goat's meat, 'Lalaa' (the bitter green leafy vegetable), and 'Lamola' (Hyptis spicigera) as the major taboo foods. The second theme was the reasons underlying the adherence to the food taboos and misconceptions. Cultural dictates, individual characteristics, and societal context were the main reasons for the adherence to food taboos. The third theme looked at the misconceptions and other taboos during pregnancy. It was found that pregnant women are not allowed to touch grave soil, shave their hair, walk over an anthill, slaughter chicken or birds, have sex during pregnancy, sit on animal's hide or skin, and/or touch needles.
Nutritional counseling and education should focus more on addressing food taboos. The mode of delivery of the nutrition message should be inclusive, targeting pregnant women and their spouses, school-going children, adolescent girls, and cultural leaders at their respective points of contact.
在发展中国家，食物禁忌的做法很普遍。被视为禁忌的食物种类以及与禁忌相关的原因因社会而异。食物禁忌已被认为是导致孕期孕产妇营养不良的因素之一，尤其是在农村地区。在营养不良普遍存在的阿乔利农村社区，人们对这些食物禁忌和错误观念知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在探讨孕期可能影响阿乔利地区母婴营养结局的各种错误观念和食物禁忌。
2022年4月至5月在阿乔利次区域的五个地区进行了一项基于社区的定性横断面研究。采用焦点小组讨论（FGD）和关键信息访谈（KII）收集数据。数据逐字转录，整理成主题，分配独特的颜色代码，并进行主题手动分析。
在仔细审查记录后，出现了三个突出的主题。第一个主题关注阿乔利社区被视为禁忌的食物及其相关原因。参与者指出内脏、鸡肉、野鸟、烟熏肉和鱼、甘蔗、茄子（“图拉”）、花生、野味、蘑菇、蜂蜜、酸水果或餐食（橙子、芒果、百香果、柠檬、罗望子、“马拉克旺”）、羊肉、“拉拉”（苦绿叶蔬菜）和“拉莫拉”（尖叶香茶菜）是主要的禁忌食物。第二个主题是坚持食物禁忌和错误观念的潜在原因。文化规定、个人特征和社会背景是坚持食物禁忌的主要原因。第三个主题着眼于孕期的错误观念和其他禁忌。发现孕妇不允许触摸坟墓土壤、剃头发、走过蚁丘、宰杀鸡或鸟、孕期发生性行为、坐在动物的皮上和/或触摸针头。
营养咨询和教育应更多地侧重于解决食物禁忌问题。营养信息的传递方式应具有包容性，针对孕妇及其配偶、学童、少女和文化领袖在各自的接触点进行。
