Dietary Intake and Associated Risk Factors Among Pregnant Women in Mbeya, Tanzania

Poor dietary intake among pregnant women has serious detrimental consequences for pregnancy and offspring both in developed and developing countries. This study aimed to assess dietary intake and associated risk factors among pregnant women. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mbeya, Tanzania with a sample size of 420 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics to assess the factors associated with dietary intake. Dietary intake was assessed using a piloted questionnaire of the Prime Diet Quality Score. A tested standard questionnaire was also used to collect factors that are associated with dietary intake among pregnant women. The strengths of the associations between the dependent and independent variables were tested using the Pearson chi-square tests and the multivariate log-binomial regression method was performed to calculate the adjusted risk ratios (ARR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The study revealed that out of 420 pregnant women who participated in this study only 12.6% and 29.3% consumed at least four servings of fruits and vegetables per week respectively. Poor dietary intakes were less likely among cohabiting pregnant women [Adjusted RR 0.22 (95% CI 0.09-0.50)] and; those who reported taking Fansidar tablets during the pregnancy [Adjusted RR 0.55 (95% CI 0.31-0.96)]. Further, we found that poor dietary intakes were more likely among pregnant women who were classified as overweight and obesity by the MUAC above 33cm [Adjusted RR 3.49 (95% CI 1.10-11.06)]. The study results affirm that cohabitation and obesity affect dietary intakes among pregnant women differently compared to married women in rural settings of Tanzania. Further research is needed to investigate the social aspects that link dietary intake outcomes for developing a tailored gestational intervention to improve maternal and birth outcomes in sub-Saharan African countries.