Daily Dietary habits and Nutrition Attitude of Pregnant Women in Port-said city

Abstract

Background: Nutrition during pregnancy has a significant impact on pregnancy outcomes and is seen as a critical component of a healthy and successful pregnancy, as well as the offspring's long-term health. Aim: This study aimed to explore daily dietary habits of women regarding healthy nutrients during pregnancy. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive study was used to apply the research in prenatal clinics at six health centers in Port Said, with a total of 270 women receiving antenatal care. The tools used for data collection consisted of; a structured interviewing form, Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and the nutritional attitude scale. Results: The current study revealed that more than three quarter of the studied women had unsatisfactory level of knowledge related to nutrition during pregnancy. Most of them had positive attitude related to nutrition during pregnancy in Port-said city. A statistically significant relationship was found between total knowledge level and total attitude level of the pregnant women related to nutrition during pregnancy whereby p-value ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: Most of the studied women reported low level of knowledge regarding healthy nutrients during pregnancy. Moreover, more than half of the studied women didn't change their diet habits during pregnancy, because they were convinced that their nutrition is actually healthy. Recommendations: Applying nutrition counseling to all pregnant women to improve their practices.