ASSESSMENT OF DIETARY PRACTICE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PREGNANT MOTHER IN AMBO DISTRICT, WEST SHOA, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA, 2018

Abstract

ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy were associated with higher risk of having a preterm birth, low birth-weight, Intrauterine Growth Restrictions and facing with multiple threats to their own health and survival. There is no study conducted on assessment of dietary practices and associated factors during pregnancy in the study area.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the dietary practices and associated factors among pregnant mothers in Ambo district west Shoa Zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia.
METHODS: Community based cross sectional study supplemented with qualitative (FGD) was conducted from April, 9-19, 2018, by considering non-fasting season. Simple random sampling technique was utilized to select 10 kebeles out of 33 total kebeles. The study used SPSS windows of version 21.0. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with dietary practice and P-value of < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Finally, 343 samples were allocated proportionally to each selected kebeles.
RESULTS: Out of 343 pregnant women 338 were interviewed yielding response rate of 98.5%. Only one fourth of pregnant women with 95% CI 22.5-32.0 had good dietary practices. Nutrition information, average monthly income, husband occupation and age of pregnant woman were independent factors for good dietary practice. Families with average monthly income greater than 4,000 birr (AOR= 15.50 at 95% CI 3.89-61.78), pregnant mothers whose age in the rage of 27-35 year (AOR: 0.425 with 95% CI of 0.193-0.938), pregnant mothers who had no nutrition information (AOR: 0.020 with 95% CI of 0.006, 0.069), and daily laborer husband of pregnant mothers (AOR: 0.058 with 95% CI, 0.005-0.718).
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of good dietary practice among respondents was very low. The factors associated with dietary practice were nutrition information, family monthly income, husband occupation and age of pregnant women. Thus, Ambo district health office should consider identified factors in their plan to reduce the prevalence of poor dietary practice. Particularly, health extension workers, and health workers have to give due attention by awareness creation of pregnant mothers. As well, it is recommended for further assessments on dietary practice to identify additional factors affecting dietary practices of pregnant mothers.
KEYWORDS: Dietary practice, pregnant women meal frequency, Ambo, Oromia, Ethiopia.
(Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health; 2018; 10; 4: 43-51)