A comparison of pregnancy outcomes in Ghanaian women with varying dietary diversity: a prospective cohort study protocol

Abstract

IntroductionPoor dietary intake during pregnancy can have negative repercussions on the mother and fetus. This study therefore aims to explore the dietary diversity (DD) of pregnant women and its associations with pregnancy outcomes among women in Northern Ghana. The main outcome variables to be measured are gestational weight gain and birth weight.Methods and analysisA prospective cohort study design will be used and 600 pregnant women in their first trimester will be systematically recruited at health facilities and followed until delivery. In three follow-up visits after recruitment, information on sociodemographic and general characteristics, physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form, dietary intake (24-hour food recall), anthropometry and pregnancy outcomes will be collected. DD will be measured three times using the minimum DD-women (MDD-W) indicator and the mean of the three values overall will be used to determine low (<5 food groups) and high (≥5 food groups) DD. Data will be analysed using SPSS. Comparisons between groups (categorical data) will be made using the χ2 test for proportions, and t-tests and ANOVA will be performed on continuous variables. Regression analysis will be used to identify independent outcome predictors while controlling for possible confounding factors. The results may help to identify differences in DD between healthy and unhealthy pregnancy outcomes.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol has been approved by the ethics committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and the ethical review committee of the Tamale Teaching Hospital. Written informed consent will be obtained from all subjects. The results will be published in due course.

Dietary diversity and its correlates among pregnant adolescent girls in Ghana

“…Each district has a district hospital, health centers and several Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds depending on the size of the district [ 34 ]. Due to its position in the middle belt of Ghana, the Ashanti region was chosen for this study and also because the majority of maternal and child health studies have been conducted in both the Northern and Southern sectors of Ghana [ 31 , 35 ]. A rural area is a community with less than 5000 population while all others are considered urban [ 34 ].…”

The Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women of Reproductive Age (MDD-W) Indicator Is Related to Household Food Insecurity and Farm Production Diversity: Evidence from Rural Mali

“…To date, the indicator has been tested with regard to whether it is associated with socioeconomic characteristics ( 19 , 20 ). It has been used to explore linkages between diet and coronary artery disease ( 21 ), pregnancy-related outcomes ( 22 , 23 ), and child growth ( 24 ), but also to develop new metrics for food biodiversity in diets ( 25 ). In Bangladesh, it has begun to be used for program evaluation ( 26 ), and its applicability to pregnant adolescent girls and women has also been tested ( 27 ).…”

Effect of Dietary Diversity on the Nutritional Status in Pregnant Women and in Turn its Effect on Birth Weight of the Baby

“…They observed that the pregnant women who consumed food with low diversity had increased chances of low birth weight babies compared to their counterpart. [16] A prospective cohort study conducted in Norway, found that both increased or decreased weight gain compared to IOM recommendations were associated with adverse fetal and pregnancy outcomes. The Odds ratio of low birth weight increased when the gestational weight gain is less than the IOM recommendations and odds ratio of large for gestational age, gestational diabetes, preecclampsia increased as the gestational weight gain is more than the IOM recommendations.…”