Anemia in Pregnant Women as a Cultural Phenomenon: A Literature Review

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundExplores how restrictions on food intake during pregnancy, due to cultural taboos, can lead to anemia. The study aims to provide an overview of prohibited food types, the supportive environment, the impact on pregnancy, and interventions that can be implemented to overcome anemia.MethodThe authors conducted a literature review by searching for articles on five databases, namely Science Direct, Springer Link, Pubmed, Sage, and Scopus. They also searched for suitable articles from other references, mainly journal articles published in the last five years (2019-2023).ResultsIn total, there were 20 reviewed explaining the types of food prohibited during pregnancy and the reasons for this as well as support from family, religious figures, mothers, and in-laws. Overcoming anemia in pregnant women with a cultural approach resulted in meaningful results, with the intervention carried out for around three months. The use of picture books that are appropriate to the cultural context and local wisdom increases information about the importance of iron for pregnant women, increases the frequency of eating, the number of iron tablet intakes, the amount of food intake containing iron each day, and increases the baby’s birth weight.ConclusionAnemia caused by cultural taboos on certain foods during pregnancy can be prevented and treated with local wisdom intervention approaches.