Antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation: benefits beyond iron-folic acid alone

Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021

Objective: This study aimed to assess the dietary diversity and its associated factors among pregnant women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: An institution-based Cross-sectional was conducted among 320 participants from four health facilities in Addis Ababa selected based on a simple random sampling method from 01 September to 30 December 2021. An Interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used, following informed consent. Binary (Bivariate and multivariate) logistics regression was applied for the identification factors associated with dietary diversity with their respective 95% confidence interval and less than 5% p-value. Results: The prevalence of inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy was 51.6% (95% CI: 46.1%-57.0%). Being illiterate (AOR: 0.591; 95% CI: 1.88-1.901; p < 0.05) and primary education (AOR: 0.347; 95% CI: 0.166-0.728; p < 0.05), having poor knowledge (AOR: 0.437; 95% CI: 0.252-0.757; p < 0.05) and lower monthly income (AOR: 0.395; 95% CI: 0.184-0.845; p < 0.05) were factors associated with inadequate dietary diversity. Conclusion: A higher level of inadequate dietary diversity was reported. Being illiterate, having primary education, having poor knowledge, and having lower monthly income were associated with inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy. Concerned bodies were suggested to work on the identified factors.

Sanitation and Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation in Pregnancy Outcomes: Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Around 2.6 billion people lack proper sanitation. In addition, nutritional problems such as multiple micronutrient (MMN) deficiency can increase morbidity, mortality, and impaired neurocognitive growth at later stages of life. In addition to the need for a sanitary approach, a globally applicable strategy to prevent micronutrient deficiencies in pregnant women, UNICEF recommends the use of MMN for prenatal supplementation as an initial program in developing countries, to reduce the risk of poor birth outcomes. AIM: The aim of this literature study was to analyze the relationship between sanitation and the multimicronutrient (MMN) approach in pregnancy and birth outcomes. METHODS: This research was conducted using literature review method. Various references were collected from online database including reports, journals, and books. The journals were mostly from the scholarly journals. The articles were screened according to the research objectives. The keywords used are sanitation, pregnancy, and multiple micronutrient approach. RESULTS: Several studies have shown that sanitation and the multi micronutrient (MMN) approach play a role in determining pregnancy outcomes. We conclude that the importance of sanitation on pregnancy outcome is to reduce the chance of infection. The importance of MMN in pregnancy outcomes is that mothers who consume MMN during pregnancy can reduce the risk of poor birth output. The role of stakeholders is needed in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Several studies have shown that sanitation and multi micronutrient (MMN) play a role in determining pregnancy outcome.

Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Shashemane, Oromia, Central Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Maternal dietary diversity is a proxy indicator of maternal nutrient adequacy and improves health outcomes for both mothers and babies. However, little is documented on dietary diversity among pregnant mothers. Therefore, this study assessed diet diversity and associated factors among pregnant mothers attending the antenatal clinic in Shashemane, Oromia, Central Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 315 systematically selected pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of Shashemane town in April 2017. Dietary diversity was assessed using a 24 h dietary recall method, and the dietary diversity score was computed for ten food groups. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were computed to identify associated factors of dietary diversity.

RESULT

In this study, only a quarter (25.4%) of pregnant mothers consumed adequate dietary diversity. Mother's tertiary (AOR 3.18; 95% CI: 1.8, 6.35) and secondary (AOR 2.13; 95% CI: 2.32, 8.72) education, household monthly income above 3500 ETB (AOR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.47, 7.78), livestock ownership (AOR = 4.15; 95% CI: 2.07, 9.86), women who got emotional support from the husband (AOR = 3.49; 95% CI: 1.12, 8.23), and women who participated in the shooping (AOR = 2.54; 95% CI: 3.27, 9.83) were more likely to attain the adequate dietary diversity.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed that the overall consumption of adequate dietary diversity was found to be low. Developing the educational level of women, increasing household income and owning of livestock, increasing husbands' support, and improving women's participation in the shopping are recommended to improve women's adequate dietary diversity.