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Food taboos and related misperceptions during pregnancy in Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:Most communities, rural or urban, have taboos regarding foods to avoid during pregnancy, and most have local explanations for why certain foods should be avoided. Such taboos may have health benefits, but they also can have large nutritional and health costs to mothers and fetuses. As such, understanding local pregnancy food taboos is an important public health goal, especially in contexts where food resources are limited. Despite this, information regarding food taboos is limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed food taboos, related misconceptions, and associated factors among pregnant women in Northern Ethiopia. METHODS:A cross-sectional study of 332 pregnant women in antenatal care (ANC) follow-up at selected private clinics in Mekelle city, Tigray, Ethiopa, recruited between April and May, 2017. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we assessed whether respondents' observed food taboos, what types of foods they avoided, their perceived reasons for avoidance, diversity of respondents' diets during pregnancy, and respondents' socio-demographic characteristics. After reporting frequency statistics for categorical variables and central tendencies (mean and standard deviation) of continuous variables, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the socio-demographic factors and diet diversity associated with food taboo practices. RESULTS:Around 12% of the pregnant women avoided at least one type of food during their current pregnancy for one or more reasons. These mothers avoided eating items such as yogurt, banana, legumes, honey, and "kollo" (roasted barley and wheat). The most common reasons given for the avoidances were that the foods were (mistakenly) believed to cause: abortion; abdominal cramps in the mother and newborn; prolonged labor; or coating of the fetus's body. Maternal education (diploma and above) (AOR: 4.55, 95% CI: 1.93, 10.31) and marital status (single) were found to be negatively associated (protective factors) with observances of pregnancy food taboos. Approximately 79% of respondents had pregnancy diets that were insufficiently diverse, although we did not find any statistical evidence that this was associated with adhering to food taboos. CONCLUSION:The misconceptions related to pregnancy food taboos should be discouraged insofar as they may restrict women's consumption of nutritious foods which could support maternal health and healthy fetal development. Health providers should counsel pregnant women and their husbands about appropriate pregnancy nutrition during ANC visits.

SUBMITTER: Tela FG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7553351 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Food taboos and related misperceptions during pregnancy in Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

Tela Freweini Gebrearegay FG Gebremariam Lemlem Weldegerima LW Beyene Selemawit Asfaw SA

PloS one 20201013 10

<h4>Introduction</h4>Most communities, rural or urban, have taboos regarding foods to avoid during pregnancy, and most have local explanations for why certain foods should be avoided. Such taboos may have health benefits, but they also can have large nutritional and health costs to mothers and fetuses. As such, understanding local pregnancy food taboos is an important public health goal, especially in contexts where food resources are limited. Despite this, information regarding food taboos is l ...[more]

PMID: 33048926

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Project description:IntroductionAnemia is a global public health problem that has affected a significant number of pregnant mothers worldwide. The World Health Organization has estimated the prevalence of anemia in pregnant women at 18% and 56% in developed and developing countries, respectively. This study aimed to identify factors associated with severe anemia among laboring women in Mekelle city public hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia.MethodsThis unmatched case-control study involved 264 (88 = cases and 176 = controls) pregnant women who were recruited when they came for delivery service in Mekelle city public hospitals. The data was collected from July to August, 2016. In this study, a systematic sampling technique was used inselecting controls, but the cases were enrolled until the required sample size was reached. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to find predictors of severe anemia. Statistically significant predictors of severe anemia were identified at P-value <0.05 and 95% confidence interval.ResultsA total of 264 pregnant women who came for delivery services were enrolled in this study. The major predicting variables for the occurrence of severe anemia among laboring women were residency (AOR = 3.28, 95% CI: 1.26-8.48), number of pregnancies (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.14-5.29), iron folate supplementation (AOR = 3.29, 95% CI: 1.27-8.49), dietary diversification score (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.19-8.71) and duration of menstrual cycle (AOR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.10-5.10). The variable 'blood loss during pregnancy' (AOR = 6.63 95% CI: 2.96-14.86) was identified as a strong predictor of the outcome variable, severe anemia.ConclusionThis study identified determinants of severe anemia among laboring women in Mekelle city public hospitals, Northern Ethiopia. To reduce anemia, strengthening health education provision related to the importance of birth spacing and consuming diversified and iron-enriched food should be considered. Moreover, screening of pregnant women for state of anemia during their visits to health facilities, as well as de-worming for intestinal parasites infection are needed.

Project description:INTRODUCTION:Patient counseling can ideally be providing medication information orally or in written form to patients or their attendants, and it helps to form a concordant approach on encouraging patient involvement in the pharmaceutical care process and to explore patient's knowledge and understanding. Lack of adequate knowledge on drugs and up-to-date drug information are the major factor that hinders counseling services. This study assessed counseling practice of pharmacy professionals in Mekelle City. METHODS:A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Professionals who volunteered to participate were involved. Self-administered questionnaires were used as data collecting tool to grasp professionals' practice on patient counseling, and the data were analyzed by using SPSS version 23. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc statistical tests were done to check for association between sociodemographic and other variables of counseling practice. In the statistical analyses, p-value of 0.05 and 95% confidence interval were considered. RESULTS:The most frequent drug information given by the pharmacy professionals to clients were unit dose (65%), frequency of administration (79%), and duration of therapy (62%). Study participants claimed that lack of knowledge (37%), lack of updated drug information (49%), high patient load (62%), and absence of a private counseling room (51%) were the main factors that prohibit pharmacy professionals from counseling their patients. Those pharmacy professionals whose monthly income was <2000 Ethiopian Birr claimed lack of knowledge (p=0.007), limited access for updated drug information (p=0.009), and lack of experience (p=0.039) as factors for poor counseling practice. Results of the post hoc analysis showed significant difference among the participants with <5 and >10 years of experience in providing information on storage conditions and written materials with p-value of 0.025 and 0.016, respectively. CONCLUSION:This study proves that the level of satisfactory counseling is still very low compared to the expected practice. Lack of knowledge, lack of updated drug information, high patient load, absence of private counseling room, and underestimating the importance of counseling were identified as some of the factors that impede counseling services.

Project description:IntroductionDyslipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The prevalence of dyslipidemia is not known among Ethiopian adults. The prevalence is expected to rise due to the socio-economic development accompanied by lifestyle changes. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and associated risk factors among adult residents of Mekelle City.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 321 randomly selected subjects. Data were collected on sociodemographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics of the participants using the WHO STEPS survey instrument. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24.0. Student's t-test and Pearson's Chi-square test were used to assessing the interrelationship between each factor and outcome variables. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify risk factors associated with dyslipidemia. All statistical significance was considered at p ≤0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of dyslipidemia in this study was 66.7%. The prevalence of high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), elevated triglyceride, elevated total cholesterol, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 49.5%, 40.2%, 30.8%, and 16.5%, respectively. Being above 64 years (aOR: 2.196, 95% CI: 1.183-4.078) and 40-64 years old (aOR: 2.196, 95% CI: 1.183-4.078), overweight (aOR: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.314-4.756) and obesity (aOR: 15.489, 95% CI: 3.525-68.070), walking <150 minutes per week (aOR: 1.722, 95% CI: 1.004-2.953), raised fasting blood glucose (FBG) (aOR: 4.804, 95% CI: 1.925-11.988), and medium socio-economic status (aOR: 2.017, 95% CI: 1.044-3.899) were identified as significant predictors of dyslipidemia.ConclusionsThe finding of this study indicated that the prevalence of dyslipidemia is unacceptably high among adult residents of Mekelle City, which underlines an urgent need for early detection and public health interventions through the integrated involvement of public, governmental, and non-governmental organizations.

Project description:AimThe emerging respiratory disease known as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) became a global concern and was declared as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2022. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice and associated factors toward COVID-19 and its prevention measures among residents of Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.Subject and methodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 604 residents of selected kebelles in Mekelle city, Tigray region from April to February 2022. A structured questionnaire and observation check list were used to collect the data. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used with SPSS version 25 to identify factors associated with the outcome variables.ResultsA total of 604 residents were participated in the study with 100% response. Among the total study participants (n = 604), 74.2%, 58.8%, and 39.2%, of them had good knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practice toward COVID-19 and its preventive measures, respectively. Results from the multivariate analysis showed that age, level of education, and family size were found to be significantly associated with good knowledge of study participants toward COVID-19. Additionally, occupation, family size, income level, and having knowledge about COVID-19 were significant factors associated with the attitude of the study participants toward COVID-19. Moreover, practice of study participants to prevent COVID-19 was also significantly associated with educational status, occupation status, income level, and having a positive attitude about the practice toward COVID-19 prevention.ConclusionThis study result revealed that the study participants' knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 were good. However, their practice toward COVID-19 and its preventive measure was poor, which will affect combating the pandemic. Therefore, continuous and effective public health education programs, community mobilization, law enforcements, and breaking siege and allowing all types of humanitarian aids in the region are urgently needed to improve knowledge, attitude, and practices toward COVID-19 and its preventive measures among the residents.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10389-023-01826-3.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Locally established clinical laboratory reference intervals (RIs) are required to interpret laboratory test results for screening, diagnosis and prognosis. The objective of this study was establishing reference interval of clinical chemistry parameters among apparently healthy adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years in Mekelle, Tigrai, northern part of Ethiopia. METHODS:Community based cross sectional study was employed from December 2018 to March 2019 in Mekelle city among 172 males and 172 females based on Multi stage sampling technique. Blood samples were tested for Fasting blood sugar (FBS), alanine aminino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Creatinine, urea, total protein, albumin (ALB), direct and indirect bilirubin (BIL.D and BIL.T) using 25 Bio system clinical chemistry analyzer. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 23 software and based on the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI)/ International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) C 28-A3 Guideline which defines the reference interval as the 95% central range of 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. Mann Whitney U test, descriptive statistics and box and whisker were statistical tools used for analysis. RESULTS:This study observed statistically significant differences between males and females in ALP, ALT, AST, Urea and Creatinine Reference intervals. The established reference intervals for males and females, respectively, were: ALP (U/L) 79.48-492.12 versus 63.56-253.34, ALT (U/L) 4.54-23.69 versus 5.1-20.03, AST 15.7-39.1 versus 13.3-28.5, Urea (mg/dL) 9.33-24.99 versus 7.43-23.11, and Creatinine (mg/dL) 0.393-0.957 versus 0.301-0.846. The combined RIs for Total Protein (g/dL) was 6.08-7.85, ALB (g/dL) 4.42-5.46, FBS(mg/dL) 65-110, BIL.D (mg/dL) 0.033-0.532, and BIL.T (mg/dL) 0.106-0.812. CONCLUSIONS:The result showed marked difference among sex and with the company derived values for selected clinical chemistry parameters. Thus, use of age and sex specific locally established reference intervals for clinical chemistry parameters is recommended.

Project description:IntroductionWeight gain during pregnancy is an important indicator of maternal and fetal nutrition during pregnancy. However, information regarding the effect of pregnancy weight gain on birth weight is lacking from developing countries.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of pregnancy weight gain on the newborn's birth weight in mothers attending antenatal care (ANC) services from private clinics.MethodsHealth facility-based follow-up study was conducted among 332 pregnant mothers attending their antenatal care in Mekelle city, from October 2016 to June 2017. Before 28 weeks of gestation, pregnancy weight was collected retrospectively, then, mothers were followed-up until the time of infant delivery to record their birth weight. Data were also collected by a structured questionnaire and checklists and analyzed using SPSS version 21. The relationship between dependent and independent variables was assessed and presented using descriptive statistics, as well as t-test, ANOVA, and multivariable linear regression analysis. Variables:-pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal age, parity, decision making power on monetary resources, pregnancy interval, availability of housemaid, women dietary diversity score, maternal occupation, and pregnancy weight gain were included in the multivariable analysis.ResultsMaternal weight increased monthly at a mean ± SD rate of 2 ± 0.7 kg in the second trimester, and 1.5 ± 0.7 kg in the third trimester. The mean ± SD of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and total pregnancy weight gain was 23.8 ± 4.6 kg/m2, and 12 ± 2.8 kg respectively. The mean ± SD of birth weight was 3440 ± 542 grams. Weight gain has a significant effect on infant birth weight, a 1 kg increase in the pregnancy weight was associated with 94 g increase in BW (β = 97, 95% CI: 73-120). After dividing the pre-pregnancy weight into four groups (< 18.5, 18.5-24.9, 25-29.9 and ≥30) kg/m2 based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM), we found a statistically significant birth weight difference between each group.ConclusionPregnancy weight gain has a significant effect on birth weight. Thus, ANC counseling services should focus on maternal weight gain to prevent sub-optimal birth weight.

Project description:BackgroundPoor maternal nutrition adversely affects pregnancy and birth outcomes. In many societies, there are dietary restrictions due to misconceptions or food taboos during pregnancy which consequently results in the depletion of important nutrients. These cultural malpractices and beliefs can influence the dietary intake of pregnant women which subsequently affects the birth outcome. The study aimed at exploring the extent of food taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy in rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted using an in-depth interviews of key informants and focus group discussions among purposively selected pregnant women and their husbands, health care workers, health extension workers, and elderly people. Data were transcribed verbatim, thematized; color-coded, and analyzed manually using the thematic framework method.ResultThorough reading and review of the transcripts generated three major themes. The primary theme was the belief and practice of taboos related to the intake of certain food items during pregnancy. Pregnant women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law believed that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy. The second theme was foods that were held as taboo and the reason attached to it. The most common food items held as taboo were related to the consumption of vegetables like cabbage, pumpkin, milk and milk products, sugar cane, fruits like bananas and avocado and egg. The main reasons to avoid these foods were beliefs that it can be plastered on the fetal head, making fatty baby which is difficult for delivery. The third theme was the reasons underlying adherence to food taboos which is deeply embedded in the person's believes and attitudes of the pregnant women, who were nested within the influence of the social environment surrounding them and the traditional beliefs and values of the society in general.ConclusionsThe results showed a widespread practice of food taboos during pregnancy in the study area. The finding suggested that there is a need for strengthening the nutrition counseling components of antenatal care follow-up and planning comprehensive nutrition education through involving important others to dispel such traditional beliefs and prevent food taboo practices in the study community.

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Food taboos and related misperceptions during pregnancy in Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

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Food taboos and related misperceptions during pregnancy in Mekelle city, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

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