Associated Factors with Nutritional And Dietary Practices of Pregnant Women in Duhok City/ Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is the most crucial nutritionally demanding period of every woman's life. The high demand for nutrients to deposit energy in the form of new tissue, the growth of existing maternal tissues such as the breast and uterus, and increased energy requirements for tissue synthesis make pregnant women more vulnerable to malnutrition. Aim of the Study: To assess the factors associated with the nutritional and dietary practices of pregnant women in Duhok City. Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done on 400 randomly selected antenatal mothers at the four primary health care centers and in Duhok hospital for obstetrics and gynecology. Data was collected using a questionnaire from (22nd November 2021 to 2nd April 2022) 4 hours/ day, distributed over six days/ week. Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.56 ± 5.104 years. About two third (63.6%) of the antenatal mothers had a fair nutritional knowledge level. Only (9.3%) of women had a negative attitude, while (90.8%) had a positive attitude. Regarding practiced nutrition, the good intake nutrition was (69.3 %), and nearly one-third (30.8 %) had acceptable intake. There was a significant association between women who practiced nutrition and their knowledge and attitude toward nutrition (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings concluded that most of the study subjects had a fair knowledge of nutrition during pregnancy. In addition, good knowledge and attitude about maternal nutrition usually affect nutritional practices during pregnancy.