Home / Current Issue / Paper 1713599
Economic Deprivation, Cultural Beliefs and Practices Impacts Nutrition among Pregnant Women in Dekina local Government of Kogi State, Nigeria
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Sociology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713599
Abstract
This study explores the nutritional knowledge and practices of pregnant women in rural communities of Dekina Local Government Area (LGA), Kogi State, Nigeria. The research aims to determine the level of nutritional knowledge among these women, examine their attitudes towards proper nutrition, Additionally, the study analyzes how these nutritional practices impact maternal health. A descriptive survey design was adopted, involving a sample of 384 pregnant women attending antenatal care at various healthcare facilities across the three districts of Okura, Dekina, and Biraidu. Data were collected through a combination of self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews, with both quantitative and qualitative analyses employed. Findings revealed that while a significant number of respondents demonstrated basic nutritional knowledge, there were gaps in understanding the importance of certain micronutrients. Attitudes towards proper nutrition were generally positive, yet socio-economic challenges limited access to balanced diets, leading to suboptimal nutritional practices. The study concludes that improving access to nutritional education and resources is crucial for enhancing maternal health outcomes in rural areas. It recommends targeted nutrition programs, community-based interventions, and stronger healthcare support to address the identified challenges and improve maternal nutrition.
Keywords
Nutritional knowledge, pregnant women, rural communities, attitudes, dietary practices.
References
[1] Ajzen, I. and Fishbein, M. (2012). Attitudes and the Attitude-Behavior Relation: Reasoned and Automatic Processes. European Review of Social Psychology, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1–33.
[2] Arzoaquoi S.K., Essuman E.E., Gbagbo F.Y., Tenkorang E.Y., Soyiri I., Laar A.K. (2015). Motivations for food prohibitions during pregnancy and their enforcement mechanisms in a rural Ghanaian district. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 11:59. doi: 10.1186/s13002-015-0044-0.
[3] Belay, W.S. Endeshaw, A,C., Eden, B. T. (2022). Dietary practice during pregnancy and associated factors among pregnant women in Farta district, South Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021, Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health. 14, 100968,
[4] Cetin, I. & Laoreti A. (2015). From the womb to the adult. In: Vassilios F, Michele M, Antonio DV et al., editors., eds. The importance of maternal nutrition for health. Proceedings of the 11thInternational Workshop on Neonatology and Satellite Meetings., Cagliari (Italy). J PediatrNeonat Individual Med 2015; 4: e040220
[5] Chimezie, I.E., and Akuma, I. (2022). Assessment of Knowledge, attitude and practice of pregnant women regarding maternal nutrition: A crodd-sectional study from Ebonyi State, Nigeria. International Journal of Home Economics, 15(2), 56-66.
[6] Black R.E., Victoria C.G., Walker S.P., Bhutta Z.A., Christian P., de Onis M., Ezzati M., Grantham-McGregor S., Katz J., Martorell R., (2013). Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet. 382:427–451. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60937-X.
[7] Chakona G.and Shackleton C. (2017). Minimum dietary diversity scores for women indicate micronutrient adequacy and food insecurity status in South African towns. Nutrients. 9:812. doi: 10.3390/nu9080812
[8] Christian, P., Lee, S.E., Donahue, A. M., (2015). Risk of childhood undernutrition related to smallfor-gestational age and preterm birth in low- and middle-income countries. International journal of epidemiology 42(5): p. 1340-1355.
[9] Danjuma, S. M. & Ibrahim, H. O. (2023). Determinants of Choice of Delivery Services Among Expectant Mothers in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Reviews. 4 (5): 5928-5937.
[10] Dean, S.V., Lassi, Z.S., Imam, A., et al. (2014). Preconception care: nutritional risks and interventions. Reproductive health 11(3): p. S3S3.
[11] Dror, D.K., Allen, L.H., et al. (2018). Overview of Nutrients in Human Milk. Advances in Nutrition, 9(suppl_1): p. 278S-294S. doi: 10.1093/ advances/nmy022.
[12] Edris, M., Tekle H., Fitaw Y., Gelaw B., Engedaw D. & Alemu, T. (2005). Maternal nutrition for the Ethiopian health centre team. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[13] Ehwarieme A. T., Amiegheme E. F. & Enosekhafoh B. ((2019). Knowledge and practice of healthy nutrition among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at selected private hospitals in Benin City. International Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 11(7), 75-86.
[14] Ekwochi U., Osuorah C.D., Ndu I.K., Ifediora C., Asinobi I.N., Eke C.B. (2016). Food taboos and myths in South Eastern Nigeria: The belief and practice of mothers in the region. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 12:7. doi: 10.1186/s13002-016-0079-x
[15] Gebremichael, M. A. Lema, T. B. (2023). Prevalence and predictors of knowledge and attitude on optimal nutrition and health among pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy. International Journal of Women’s Health, 15, 1383–1395
[16] Gherasim, A., Arhire, L. I., Niță, O., Popa, A. D., Graur, M., & Mihalache, L. (2020). The relationship between lifestyle components and dietary patterns. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 79(3), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665120006898
[17] Girma, S., Fikadu, T., Agdew, E., Haftu, D., Gedamu, G., Dewana, Z., & Getachew, B. (2019). Factors associated with low birthweight among newborns delivered at public health facilities of Nekemte town, West Ethiopia: a case control study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 19(1), 220. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-019-2372-x
[18] Goldstein, R.F., Abell, S. K., Ranasinha, S. et al. (2017). Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Maternal and Infant Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA 317(21): p. 2207-2225
[19] Grebmer, K., Yin, S. & Yohannes, Y. (2018). 2014 Global hunger index: The challenge of hidden hunger. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 978-0-89629-958-0
[20] Haghighian Roudsari A, Vedadhir A, Pourmoradian S, Rahimi-Ardabili H, Shokouhi M, Milani-Bonab A. (2023). Correction: exploring adults’ motives for food choice of sustainable diet components: a qualitative study in Tehran Metropolis. BMC Nutr. 9(1):137. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-023-00790-1
[21] Kim, R., Mejía-Guevara, I., Corsi, D.J., et al. (2017). Relative importance of 13 correlates of child stunting in South Asia: Insights from nationally representative data from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Social Science & Medicine 187: p. 144154.
[22] Kozuki, N., Katz, J., Lee, A.C., et al. (2015). Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group Small-for-Gestational-Age/Preterm Birth Working Group. Short Maternal Stature Increases Risk of Small-for-Gestational-Age and Preterm Births in Low- and MiddleIncome Countries: Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis and Population Attributable Fraction. Journal of Nutrition. 145(11):2542-50.
[23] Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-610.
[24] Lassi, Z. S. , Padhani, Z. A. , Rabbani, A. , Rind, F. , Salam, R. A. , & Bhutta, Z. A. (2021). Effects of nutritional interventions during pregnancy on birth, child health and development outcomes: A systematic review of evidence from low‐ and middle‐income countries. Campbell Systematic Reviews.;17:e1150. 10.1002/cl2.1150
[25] Lockett C.T. & Grivetti L.E. (2020). Food-related behaviors during drought: A study of rural Fulani, northeastern Nigeria. Int. J. Food Sci. Nutr. 51:91–107.
[26] Marshall, N. E., Abrams, B., Barbour, L.A., Catalano, P., Christian, P., Friedman, J.E., Hay, W.W. Jr, Hernandez, T.L., Krebs, N.F., Oken, E., Purnell, J.Q., Roberts, J.M., Soltani, H., Wallace, J. and Thornburg, K.L. (2022. The importance of nutrition in pregnancy and lactation: lifelong consequences. America Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 226(5):607-632. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.12.035.
[27] Mitra, S. (2012). A Review of service quality research in India. Integrated Management Systems Management Journal, 4, 54-66
[28] Napier, C., Warriner, K., Sibiya, M.N. and Reddy, P. (2019). Nutritional status and dietary diversity of pregnant women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Health SA. 23;24:1114. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v24i0.1114. PMID: 31934418; PMCID: PMC6917366.
[29] Nana, A. & Zema, T. Dietary practices and associated factors during pregnancy in northwestern Ethiopia. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18, 183 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-018-1822-1
[30] Nobile, S., Di Sipio Morgia, C., & Vento, G. (2022). Perinatal Origins of Adult Disease and Opportunities for Health Promotion: A Narrative Review. Journal of personalized medicine, 12(2), 157. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12020157
[31] Poston, L., Caleyachetty, R., Cnattingius, S., et al. (2016). Preconceptional and maternal obesity: epidemiology and health consequences. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 4(12): p. 1025-1036.
[32] Rahman, M.M., Abe, S. K., Rahman, M. S., et al. (2016). Maternal anemia and risk of adverse birth and health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 103(2): p. 495-504.
[33] Towns A.M. & Van Andel T. (2016). Wild plants, pregnancy, and the food-medicine continuum in the southern regions of Ghana and Benin. J. Ethnopharmacol. 179:375–382. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.01.005.
[34] Ugwa E.A. (2016). Nutritional practices and taboos among pregnant women attending antenatal care at general hospital in Kano, Northwest Nigeria. Ann. Med. Health Sci. Res.; 6:109–114. doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.181846.
[35] Scalvedi ML, Gennaro L, Saba A and Rossi L (2021) Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake: An Assessment Among a Sample of Italian Adults. Frontal Journal of. Nutrition, 8, 714493. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.714493
[36] Sharma, S., Sonali M. and Sunil M. (2021). Association between Maternal Dietary Diversity and Low Birth Weight in Central India: A Case-Control Study. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2021, Article ID 6667608, 8 pages, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6667608
[37] Sherifat, M.D. & Habib, O.I. (2023). Determinants of Choice of Delivery Services Among Expectant Mothers in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 4(5), 5928-5937
[38] Victoria, C.G., Christian, P. & Vidaletti, L.P. (2021). Revisiting maternal and child undernutrition in low-income and middle-income countries: variable progress towards an unfinished agenda. The Lancet 397(10282):1388-1399.
[39] World Health Organization (2021). Nutrition. Available from: http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/nutrition/facts/en/
[40] WHO. (2015). Nutrition and food safety. https://www.who.int/teams/nutrition-and-food-safety/monitoring-nutritional-status-and-food-safety-and-events/foodborne-disease-estimates/1st-edition-(2015).
How to cite this paper
@article{1713599,
author = {Momoh Peace, Kakwagh V. Venatus, Momoh I. Joseph, AUDU, Mohammed (Ph.D)},
title = {Economic Deprivation, Cultural Beliefs and Practices Impacts Nutrition among Pregnant Women in Dekina local Government of Kogi State, Nigeria},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {7},
pages = {1732-1743},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1713599.pdf},
abstract = {This study explores the nutritional knowledge and practices of pregnant women in rural communities of Dekina Local Government Area (LGA), Kogi State, Nigeria. The research aims to determine the level of nutritional knowledge among these women, examine their attitudes towards proper nutrition, Additionally, the study analyzes how these nutritional practices impact maternal health. A descriptive survey design was adopted, involving a sample of 384 pregnant women attending antenatal care at various healthcare facilities across the three districts of Okura, Dekina, and Biraidu. Data were collected through a combination of self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews, with both quantitative and qualitative analyses employed. Findings revealed that while a significant number of respondents demonstrated basic nutritional knowledge, there were gaps in understanding the importance of certain micronutrients. Attitudes towards proper nutrition were generally positive, yet socio-economic challenges limited access to balanced diets, leading to suboptimal nutritional practices. The study concludes that improving access to nutritional education and resources is crucial for enhancing maternal health outcomes in rural areas. It recommends targeted nutrition programs, community-based interventions, and stronger healthcare support to address the identified challenges and improve maternal nutrition.},
keywords = {Nutritional knowledge, pregnant women, rural communities, attitudes, dietary practices.},
month = {January},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713599}
}