Dietary Practices Linked to Anemia in Pregnant Women

Abstract

his study was done to identify dietary factors that contribute to anemia in a sample of pregnant women in Cairo University Hospitals (Al-Qasr Al-Aini). This study was carried out on 200 anemic pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy, whose ages ranged from 21 to 25 years old. The participant's nutritional status was evaluated by daily diets and anthropometric measurements. The a nemic pregnant women were examined for ferritin, serum iron, and CBC test. The study showed that approximately 70% of pregnant women were overweight. 80% of the cases in this study did not suffer from any diseases, but 5% and 2.5% suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes respectively. 50% of them ate two meals and did not care about breakfast and ate fatty food. The majority of the anemic pregnant women had insufficient intake of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B1, niacin, and vitamin B6 as compared with the RDA. These findings highlight the necessity for good nutritional intake both quantity and quality during pregnancy.