ABSTRACT
The purpose of
the study was to examine the knowledge and perception of nutrition and its
practices among expectant mothers in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo
State. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. The descriptive
research was employed in this study. The researcher selected 100 pregnant women
attending antenatal clinic in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State
through the random sampling technique, data were collected by administering
questionnaires. The data collected through the questionnaire were presented and
analyzed using frequency tables and percentages. The study emerged with the
following findings: The level of awareness on the need for nutrition especially
among pregnant women is very high. Although there is high level of awareness on
the need for special nutrition during pregnancy, the content of such menu is
still oblivious to women. Although the level of awareness on nutrition is
relatively high, the practical utilization of such knowledge is still minimal,
as most women struggle with feeding habits especially during pregnancies when
they become interested in almost anything eatable. The researcher recommends
that: A revised health education programme for pregnant women with emphasis on
nutrition should be implemented to enlighten women on the need for proper
practice of nutrition. Health personnel should always encourage pregnant women
to practice what they have been thought concerning nutrition. There should be
improved infant feeding counseling
TABLE
OF CONTENT
Title
Page- - - - - - - - - i
Certification-
- - - - - - - iii
Dedication- - - - - - - - - iv
Acknowledgement- - - - - - - v
Abstract- - - - - - - - - viii
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study- - - - - - 1
Statement
of problem- - - - - - - 3
Purpose
of the Study- - - - - - - 3
Research
Questions- - - - - - - 4
Scope
of the Study- - - - - - - 4
Limitation
of the Study - - - - - - 5
Significance
of the Study - - - - - - 6
Definition
of Terms- - - - - - - - 6
CHAPTER TWO:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Concept of nutrition- - - - - - - - 8
Types of nutrition- - - - - - - - 12
Importance of nutrition- - - - - - - 14
Nutrition during pregnancy- - - - - - - 26
Factors affecting nutrition during pregnancy- - - - 27
Summary of literature review- - - - - - 28
CHAPTER THREE:
METHODOLOGY
Research
Design of the study - - - - - - 29
Population
of the study- - - - - - - 29
Sample
and Sampling Technique- - - - - - 29
Research
Instrument- - - - - - - - 30
Validity
- - - - - - - - - 30
Reliability
Method of Data Collection - - - - - 30
Method
of Data analysis - - - - - - - 31
CHAPTER FOUR:
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Discussion
of Findings - - - - - - 32
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary - - - - - - - - 39
Conclusion- - - - - - - - - 40
Recommendations
- - - - - - - - 40
REFERENCES- - - - - - - - 41
Appendix- - - - - - - - - 43
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
Nutritional knowledge has been proven to play a very vital
role in adopting optimal nutrition practices in the health of every expectant
mother. As a matter of fact, health and nutritional status of the population of
a nation is an important indicator of development of the country. A nutrition
survey carried out in India observed that the nutritional status of pregnant,
lactating and infants is not satisfactory. This is probably due to lack of
basic knowledge regarding proper nutrition and wrong customs prevalent in the
community besides non availability and low intake of food. In Nigeria, there
are some adverse socio-cultural and economical factors that produced negative
consequences and reduce women’s access to effective ante-natal services needed
to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. The most important of these are the
low socioeconomic status of women that deny themselves access to appreciable
decision-making with regard to their reproductive functions, high level of
female illiteracy which is a leading cause of poor health seeking behaviour for
maternity services among Nigerian women and high rate of poverty that
predominantly affects women leading to inadequate dietary intakes, high rate of
pregnancy complications and women’s reduced access to evidence based maternity
services (Ogunjuyibe, 2015).Maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy is
an important determinant of birth weight. High rate of Low Birth Weight (LBW)
in developing countries has been attributed to poor maternal nutrition (Ogunju,
2018) Pregnancy is a time of tremendous physiological change that demands healthy
dietary lifestyle choices. Growing foetus draws a lot of energy and nutrients
from the mother to enhance physical and psychological development (Ojo and
Briggs, 2018). In developing countries like Nigeria, it is essential to states
that low birth weight stems primarily from the mother’s poor health and
nutrition, and inadequate nutrition during pregnancy accounts for a large
proportion of growth retardation (Hareyan, 2015).
Malnutrition has been recognized as one of the underlying
factor for maternal death during the process of procreation. The causes of
malnutrition are multidimensional and multi-factorial with poverty, food
inadequacy and maternal illiteracy being the main culprit of the menace in
developing countries. The health of the mother and her nutritional status can
influence the health and survival of the child because of the biological links
that exist between her and her child during pregnancy and lactation
(Ogunjuyigbe, 2018).
There is an important factor under nutrition that is responsible
for high infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate and also for low birth
weight of infants. Appropriate nutritional practice on the other hand plays a
pivotal role in determining optimal health and development of infants (Bamji,
2013). There is abundant epidemiological evidence that poor prenatal nutrition
predisposes the offspring to diseases in its later life. Inadequate nutrition
is the predominant factor leading to malnutrition, which can be expressed as
either under nutrition or over nutrition. Under nutrition occurs when there is
not only inadequate energy but also a lack or imbalance of specific food
components and nutrients. In addition to sufficient energy, adequate supplies
of macronutrients and micronutrients are required to promote optimum growth.
The proportions and amounts of these nutrients may change according to the
various stage of growth. There have been
considerable changes in human lifestyle all over the world in the recent
decades. Especially in recent years, the lifestyle has rapidly been changed.
These changes appeared in diet, types of food, cooking time, etc. Nowadays
processed foods are rapidly replacing organic food. Another change is the rapid
increase in the number of restaurants and in people's tendency to eat fast
food. Proper nutrition is one of the most important aspects of lifestyle
(Amamoto and Andoyama, 2014) Epidemiological evidence shows that there is an
increased incidence of diseases such as (Cardiovascular diseases, obesity, high
blood pressure and cancer), which can be attributed to changes in lifestyle as
well as changes in nutritional habits. Nutritional education is also one of the
important aspects that play a big role in nutritional knowledge by raising
awareness and ultimately the health of the society (Stampfer, 2017).
In order to remain healthy and physically active and enjoy a
healthier life style it is necessary to obtain good nutritional knowledge and
implement it. The knowledge, attitude and practice must be considered in
expectant mothers in order to promote society health. From time immemorial it
has been recognized that the pregnant and lactating women form one of the most
nutritionally vulnerable segments of the population; the ill effects of
maternal under-nutrition affect not only the mother but also her offspring. In
order to bring about change in the level of nutritional knowledge and practices
prevailing people regarding nutrition, an attempt was made here to provide an
awareness regarding nutritional knowledge practices among the mothers who are
visiting a private and government hospitals.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
The most important factor responsible for high infant
mortality rate is under nutrition, maternal mortality rate and also for low
birth weight of infants. Nutrition is a multi-sectoral issue that needs to be
tackled at various levels. Nutrition affects the development as much as
development affects nutrition. It is therefore, important to tackle the problem
of nutrition through direct nutrition intervention for vulnerable groups such
as pregnant mothers. Adequate knowledge regarding various aspects of feeding
practices during pregnancy and during infancy is very essential especially
among females as they are going to influence the feeding practices of this
vulnerable group. This led to the study on nutrition knowledge and practice
among expectant mothers.
1.3.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to examine the nutritional
knowledge and practices among expectant mothers in Esan West Local Government
Area of Edo State. But the researcher intends to achieve the following sub
objectives;
·
To
outline common pregnancy outcome with poor maternal nutrition
·
To
ascertain the relationship between dietary intake, physical activity and
maternal nutritional status.
·
To
enumerate factors associated with deterioration in maternal nutritional status.
·
To
examine the role of contraception in maternal nutrition, and the preventive
measures, treatment of micronutrient deficiencies.
1.4.
Research Questions
The following research questions are
raised to guide the study
·
What is the level of awareness on
nutrition among expectant mothers in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo
State?
·
What is the level of nutritional
practice among expectant mothers in Esan West Local Government Area?
·
What are the factors influencing the
nutritional knowledge and practice among expectant mothers?
1.5
Significance of the Study
It is unbelievable to discover that many expectant mothers
in this era still lack the fundamental idea or basic knowledge of nutrition
during pregnancy. It is believed that at the end of this study the findings
will be of utmost benefits to every expectant mothers and women as it serves as
a means of curtailing the effects of malnutrition on their reproductive health.
The ministry of health will make a great deal from the findings as it serves as
a material for onward sensitization within cities and communities. The
findings will be relevant to those who intend to carry out a similar research,
as it has contributed to the existing literature. Finally, the research will
serve as a fuel of new reasoning and further research work in nutritional
knowledge and practice among expectant mothers, and to health science students,
lecturers and the general public.
1.6
Scope of the Study
This study is centered on examining nutritional knowledge
and practice among expectant mothers. In the cause of the study, the researcher
encounters some limitations which limited the scope of the study;
·
Time
constraint: The
researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work.
This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
·
Inadequate
Materials: Scarcity
of material is also another hindrance. The researcher finds it difficult to lay
hands in several required material which could contribute immensely to the
success of this research work.
·
Financial
constraint: Insufficient
fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the
relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data
collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.7
Operational Definition of Terms
·
Knowledge:
Knowledge is a familiarity,
awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through experience
or learning.
·
Nutrition:
Nutrition is the science that
interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food in
relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an
organism. It includes food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis,
catabolism and excretion.
·
Health: Health is the level of
functional and metabolic efficiency of a living organism. In humans it is the ability of
individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing physical,
mental or social changes. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in its
broader sense in its 1948 constitution as "a state of complete physical,
mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity." This definition has been subject to
controversy, in particular as lacking operational value, the ambiguity in
developing cohesive health strategies, and because of the problem created by
use of the word "complete
·
Expectant
mothers: Pregnancy,
also known as gestation, is the time during which one or more offspring develops inside a woman. Pregnancy can occur by sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive
technology. Childbirth typically occurs around
40 weeks from the last menstrual period.
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