Nutritional Characteristics of Pregnant Women and its Relation with Anemia during Pregnancy in a Sample of Kurdish Women/Iraq

Abstract

Anemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the nutritional characteristics of pregnant women and find out its relationship with anemia during pregnancy. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 600 pregnant women who attended four primary health-care centers which randomly selected according to the geographical area. A specially designed questionnaire was prepared by the researcher after extensive review of relevant literature. The severity of anemia is determined according to Alene and Dohe. Estimation and calculation of dietary characteristics was done according to food frequency questionnaire, frequencies and percentage, mean and standard deviations, and Chi-square test of association and regression analysis. There was a highly statistically significant association between anemia with eating vegetables and chicken, and a high significant relation of anemia with eating beef and eating nuts. Furthermore, there was a highly significant association between severity of anemia with eating nuts, and a significant association with eating vegetables, while there was no significant association with other variables. Logistic regression analysis revealed that eating less than normal of vegetables, beef, and nuts were indicated risks of anemia. Eating less than normal of vegetables, beef, and nuts were indicated risks of anemia during pregnancy.