Abstract:

Introduction: Adequate and proper maternal nutrition during pregnancy is essential for maternal and child health. Inadequate dietary intake during pregnancy due to restricted dietary intake, is among proximate determinants of dietary practice among pregnant women in Tanzania. Information on factors influencing dietary practice among pregnant women has potential benefits in designing strategies for addressing poor maternal nutrition. This study was therefore designed to identify factors influencing dietary practice among pregnant women attending RCH at Makongoro health Centre.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending RCH at Makongoro Health Center, simple random sampling used and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. SPSS v20 was used for data analysis. Results were presented using tables and figures. The analysis of strength of relationships between categorical variables was conducted using the Chi-square test. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: Of all 217 respondents, 148(68.2%), 158(72.8%) had adequate knowledge on dietary practice and good dietary practices respectively. The study findings revealed that education level (p=0.004) and knowledge level regarding diet in pregnancy (0.001) were among factors influencing dietary practice in pregnancy. Other factors identified were personal dislike and cultural beliefs. Alcoholism (p=0.018) and pica behaviours (p=0.000) were the only lifestyle-related factors influencing dietary practice in pregnancy.

Conclusion: The study revealed good dietary practice among pregnant women. Factors like good dietary knowledge and educational level were significantly associated with good dietary practice of pregnant women.