Prevalence of Undernutrition and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in a Public General Hospital, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study Design

Abstract

Background. Undernutrition is a global health problem, particularly in pregnant women. Despite the limited studies performed in different parts of Ethiopia, the information about the prevalence of undernutrition of pregnant women in the current study area is not documented. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors in pregnant women. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted in the Tigray region from August 01 to December 30, 2018. Study subjects were selected by systematic sampling technique from the respective hospitals. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were cleaned and entered using Epi-Data version 3.1 and then exported to statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 23.0 for analysis. Multivariate analyses were carried out, and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% CI and significance level ( p value) <0.05 were considered. Results. Out of the total 844 selected pregnant women, 840 participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 99.5%; of this, respondent’s undernutrition prevalence was found to be 40.6% with 95% confidence interval (38.93% and 42.27%). Agriculture as occupation (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.5, 4.5), women who wanted the pregnancy (AOR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.448), no history malaria during pregnancy (AOR = 0.291, 95%: (0.152, 0.555)), coffee intake during pregnancy (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.69), and hemoglobin < 11 g/dl (AOR = 4.9, 95% CI: 3.09, 7.8) were the factors that were significantly associated with undernutrition, p value (<0.05). Conclusion. In this study, occupation, history of having malaria during pregnancy, wanted type pregnancy, coffee intake during pregnancy, and hemoglobin < 11 g/dl were factors significantly associated with undernutrition in pregnant mothers. So, healthcare providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders should give special focus on these factors.

Prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among pregnant women in Konso district, southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…The odds of undernutrition among pregnant women who had family resource decision-making by husband only were 1.7 times higher than those who made the decision both husband and wife (AOR = 1.7; 95%CI: 1.1–2.6). This finding is in line with findings from a qualitative study conducted in three food-insecure districts of Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia [ 48 ]. This might be due to the reason that one part wife only or husband only decision in family resources may affect their communication and if one ignores the idea of others, this may cause the wives not to be supported by their husbands and this may also negatively affect their nutritional habit.…”

Undernutrition and its associated factors among pregnant women at the public hospitals of Bench-Sheko and Kaffa zone, southwest Ethiopia

“…For further analysis, the data was exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 software. Undernutrition was classified and coded as 1 for "yes" if the MUAC was 23 cm and 0 for "no" if the MUAC was 23 cm [ [14] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ]. The household food insecurity access score was calculated for each household by summing up the nine food insecurity frequencies in the previous 30 days.…”

The Burden of Undernutrition and Its Associated Factors Among Children Below 5 Years of Age in Bambao Region, Comoros

“…The wealth index for each household was weighted and then ranked before creating three equal wealth terciles. These were categorized as poor, middle and rich ( 4 ). For household economic activities, mothers / caretakers were asked to self-report the main occupation of the head of household.…”

“…Childhood undernutrition is one of the global leading cause of under-five mortality and morbidity ( 1 , 2 ), contributing to more than a third of 5.4 million preventable children deaths annually ( 3 ). Stunting, underweight, and wasting have significant short and long-term consequences on child growth, health, and development ( 4 , 5 ). They include increased diseases severity ( 6 ), delayed physical and mental development ( 7 ), poor academic performance ( 8 ) and premature death ( 9 ).…”