Food taboo among pregnant Ethiopian women: magnitude, drivers, and association with anemia

Mohammed, Shimels Hussien; Hailu, Tsegaye; Larijani, Bagher; Esmaillzadeh, Ahmad

doi:10.1186/s12937-019-0444-4

Cited by 47 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The main reasons for the restriction of the food items held as taboo in this study were, the fear that the food will be plastered on fetal head and having large baby which make labor and delivery di cult. This nding is supported by ndings from a study in Shashmane and Addis Ababa that state the reasons for adhering to pregnancy related food taboos and myths to be large baby and di cult birthing and 'food sticking' on the fetal head (5,14) .A study in Accra Ghana also showed that pregnant women were restricted from consuming certain foods to check their health, control the weight of the expectant mother and unborn child and ensure there is a safe delivery, which is consistent with our nding (7).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Attitude and beliefs of the pregnant women themselves towards the food taboos is another reason for the adherence to the food taboos. Similarly, a qualitative study conducted in Addis Ababa points that the underlying reasons for the adherence to pregnancy related food taboos and myths (PRFT) were largely traditionally held beliefs and misconceptions (14). The ndings have strong practical implication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food related taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy among rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Tsegaye

Tamiru

Belachew

2020

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Background: Poor maternal nutrition adversely affects pregnancy and birth outcomes. In many societies, pregnant women have food taboos and misconceptions which consequently results in the depletion of vital nutrients. These cultural malpractices and beliefs can influence dietary intake of pregnant women which subsequently affects the birth outcome. This study aimed at exploring the extent of food taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy in rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews of key informants and focus group discussions among purposefully selected pregnant women and their husbands, elderly people, health workers and health extension workers. Data were transcribed verbatim, thematized; color coded and analyzed manually using the thematic framework method.Result: Thorough reading and review of the transcripts generated three major themes. The first theme was belief and practice of taboos related to the intake of certain food items during pregnancy. Pregnant women, their husbands and mothers- in- law believed that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy. The second theme was foods that were held as taboo and the reason attached to the food taboos. The most common food items held as taboo were related to the consumption of vegetables like cabbage, pumpkin, milk and milk products, sugar cane, fruit like banana and avocado and egg and the main reasons to avoid these foods were a belief that it can be plastered on the fetal head, making fatty baby which is difficult for delivery. The third theme was the reasons underlying adherence to food taboos which is deeply embedded in the personal believes and attitudes of the pregnant women, who were nested within the influence of the social environment surrounding them and the traditional beliefs and values of the society in general.Conclusions: The results showed a widespread practice of food taboo during pregnancy in the study area. The finding suggested that there is a need for strengthening the nutrition counseling components of antenatal care follow-up and planning comprehensive nutrition education through involving important others to dispel such traditional beliefs and prevent food taboo practices in the study community.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food related taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy among rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Tsegaye

Tamiru

Belachew

2020

Preprint

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“…Food taboo prohibits eating certain food items most of which are nutritious, resulting in poor nutritional outcomes [17]. In Ethiopia, several studies reported the existence of pervasive pregnancy-related food taboos and myths, which might be contributing to the burden of maternal anemia in the country [18,19]. Ethiopian pregnant women avoid certain food items for a range of reasons; some associated with pregnancy outcome and birthing process and others to avoid undesirable aesthetic features in the baby [19].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between maternal high-risk fertility behavior and anemia among reproductive age women in Ethiopia

Fadl¹,

Haile²,

Ice³

2020

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Objectives Anemia constitutes a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the individual and combined influence of high-risk fertility behavior on anemia among reproductive age women in Ethiopia.Methods Secondary data analysis was conducted using a nationally representative sample of women aged 15-49 years from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (n=5799). Anemia status was the outcome of interest. Maternal high-risk fertility behaviors were measured using maternal age at delivery, birth order and birth interval. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression models were performed.Results Overall, 28.7% of women had anemia and 71.4% experienced at least one high-risk fertility behavior. In the multivariable model, there was a significant interaction between high-risk fertility behavior and place of residence on anemia. Women with any high-risk fertility behavior were more likely to have anemia than women without any high-risk fertility behavior. However, the strength of association differed by place of residence (AOR: 2.68; 95% CI, 1.26-5.67 for urban and AOR: 1.27; 95% CI, 1.01-1.61 for rural residents). Single high-risk fertility behavior was significantly associated with anemia only among urban residents (AOR: 2.65; 95% CI, 1.20-5.83). Multiple high-risk fertility behavior significantly increased the odds of anemia, with stronger association among urban residents (AOR: 2.82; 95% CI, 1.14-6.95) than rural residents (AOR: 1.56; 95% CI, 1.11-2.19).Conclusions Place of residence moderated the relationship between high-risk fertility behaviors and anemia. Our findings suggest the need for context-specific strategies and interventions to prevent anemia.

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“…Despite the trend of adolescents' adherence to food taboo is getting weaker along time, avoiding eating of some available foods in resource limited settings, because for reasons related to foods taboo could signi cantly increase the risk of under-nutrition. Similar studies also recognized the effect of food taboo with nutritional problems [46][47][48], from a qualitative study explores that parental in uence on eating behaviors in the perspective of the family's culture or religions as well as their habit play an important role in in uencing food choice of adolescents [49]. In settings where food shortage is evident, presence of culturally backed food taboo among adolescents girls may implies that the relatively higher nutritional de ciency can persist.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration of barriers to the uptake of nutritional services among adolescent girls from the rural communities of Tigrai Region, Northern Ethiopia: A qualitative study

Kahsay

Gebregziabher

Kahsay

et al. 2020

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Introduction : Adolescence is a time of tremendous physical growth and mental development, with high nutrient requirements. Ethiopia is among a country with high prevalence of nutritional deficiencies among the women of reproductive age group whilst adolescent girls from rural suffer from it disproportionally. However, there is dearth of evidence regarding the barriers that hinder adolescent girls to utilize the available nutritional interventions. Therefore, the current study aimed to qualitatively explore the range of barriers for the uptake of nutritional interventions among adolescent girls in rural communities of Tigrai, Northern Ethiopia. Methods and participants : An explorative qualitative study was employed among purposively selected adolescent girls and school teachers form rural districts of Tigrai region of Northern Ethiopian. Nine focused group discussions (FGDs) with adolescent girls (Five with in-school adolescents and four with out-school girls), thirteen in-depth interviews with adolescent girls (Seven in-school girls and six out-school girls) and in-depth interviews with six teachers were conducted using semi-structured guide. Data were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim in local language, translated into English and imported into ATLAS.ti version 7.5 qualitative data analysis software for coding and analysis. Results : Adolescents perceived that stunting, anemia and thinness are among the main nutritional problems in their community. Food insecurity, limited nutrition awareness in the community, limited access to water for drinking and gardening, high workload, service provider’s little attention for adolescents’ nutrition and food taboo were emerged as barriers for the uptake of adolescent girls nutritional interventions. Though limited in reach, available nutritional interventions include awareness creation, nutritional supplementation, and disease prevention. Conclusion : A range of barriers hinder adolescent girls to access nutritional interventions. Food insecurity poses a strong challenge to adolescent girls’ nutrition. As access to safe drinking water continues to be a considerable bottleneck for nutritional interventions, multi-sectoral response to integrate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is required. Bounded by food taboo, high burden of workload among the adolescent girls, women empowerment and nutritional status seem to be the unfinished agenda in resource limited settings such as the rural areas of Tigrai, Northern Ethiopia.

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Food taboo among pregnant Ethiopian women: magnitude, drivers, and association with anemia

Cited by 47 publications

References 22 publications

Food related taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy among rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Food related taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy among rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Association between maternal high-risk fertility behavior and anemia among reproductive age women in Ethiopia

Exploration of barriers to the uptake of nutritional services among adolescent girls from the rural communities of Tigrai Region, Northern Ethiopia: A qualitative study

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