ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING DUTSE GENERAL HOSPITAL

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

All human beings need a balanced amount of nutrients for proper functioning of the body system. Nutrition is a fundamental pillar of human life, health and development throughout the entire life span (World Bank, 2006 and Daba et al., 2013). There are approximately 40 different nutrients that are essential for health. If any one of these is deficient in the diet, the person will not be fully healthy and able to resist the agents of disease (Collins, 2007). The development of any country depend on the availability of good food and nutrients among other things for the well-being of every individual. The Council on Food and Nutrition of the American Medical Association defines nutrition as the science of food, the nutrients and the substance therein, their action, interaction and balance in reaction to health and disease: and the process by which the organization (i.e., body) ingests, digests, absorbs, transports and utilizes food substances Nutrition could also be described as the study of food values and its effect on the body as food is essential for optimum healthy living.

Pregnancy places extra nutritional demands on women which may affect the development of the foetus and its health later in life. The nutritional demands however does not necessarily translate to increase in the amount of  food  to  be  consumed but  certain nutrients such  as protein,  iron,  folate,  zinc  and  iodine  are  required  in higher proportions to prevent anaemia. Anaemia during pregnancy is associated with higher rates of pre-natal morbidity, higher risk for miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight, infants with low iron stores and baby’s higher risk of developing anaemia in the first month of life. Studies have shown that most of the women in of sub-Sahara Africa, including Nigeria, get pregnant under poor nutritional status which adversely affect their health and that of foetus.

One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. It is less than a decade into SDGs and the maternal nutritional indices are not encouraging. Maternal prenatal morbidity and mortality has remained unacceptably high with not much impact by the government or the non-government agencies in Nigeria. Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is unacceptability high in sub-Sahara Africa. In Nigeria for example, MMR have been reported to be 630 deaths per 100,000 live births, thus ranking Nigeria 11th country in the world with highest MMR, among 184 countries.

A balanced, nourishing diet throughout pregnancy provides the nutrients needed to support foetal growth and development without depriving the mother the nutrients needed to maintain her own health. It also minimizes the risks of excess energy loss. Usually, a woman whose diet is adequate before pregnancy is able to bear a full term viable infant. Multiple micronutrient supplements taken with iron and folic acid can improve birth outcomes for women in low income countries. These supplements reduce numbers of low birth weight of babies, premature and stillbirths in women. 

In  the  developing  world,  young  women,  pregnant  women,  their  infants  and  children frequently experience a cycle where under-nutrition (macronutrient and micronutrient) and repeated infection lead to adverse consequences that can continue from one generation to the next. Infants born prematurely or with low birth weight (LBW) are at increased risk of early death or at risk of poor growth and development in childhood and adolescence (Steketee et al., 2001). The poor growth resulting in underweight and stunting leaves reproductive-age women at risk in their early pregnancies of delivering premature or LBW infants. In addition, the micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron and folate deficiencies (which contribute to anemia), leave the young women at risk of anemia leading to inadequate oxygen-carrying capacity and risk in pregnancy of delivering premature or LBW infants (Steketee et al., 2006).

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

According to UNICEF, each year, more than half a million women die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Nearly 4 million new-borns die within 28 days of birth (UNICEF, 2009). Many of the 200 million women who become pregnant each year, most of them in developing countries, suffer from ongoing nutritional deficiencies (Mora and Nestel, 2000) repeated infections (Bazer et al., 2004) and the long term cumulative consequences of under nutrition during their own childhood (Mora and Nestel, 2000). Assessing of nutritional status during the reproductive period, especially during pregnancy, is a widely used method that requires few resources and is likely to provide many useful information but has rarely been rigorously evaluated. The expectant mother must be well nourished to meet the needs of her foetus, her own needs and to prepare her body for breastfeeding. The deleterious effects of severe deficiency, especially in the periconceptional period, are established for many nutrients. Few dietary surveys examining the nutritional status of pregnant women in Nigeria  have  been  made,  so  this study will be assessing the  nutritional  status  of pregnant  women  attending Dutse General Hospital.

1.3 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

Pregnant women undergoes some adjustments related to changes in maternal behaviour, which affect the metabolism of all nutrients. They depend primarily on the nutritional status of the mother before conception and explain its ability to adapt to various nutritional situations. This requires that more research works are needed on the subject matter. A balanced, nourishing diet throughout pregnancy provides the nutrients needed to support foetal growth and development without depriving the mother the nutrients needed to maintain her own health. It also minimizes the risks of excess energy loss. Usually, a woman whose diet is adequate before pregnancy is able to bear a full term viable infant. This study will therefore assess the nutritional status of pregnant women attending antenatal care of Dutse General Hospital in order to make recommendations that will lead to improvement in nutritional habits of pregnant women and thereby preventing maternal and child mortality.

1.4 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

AIM

The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women attending General Hospital Dutse.

OBJECTIVES

        i.            To determine the socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the pregnant mothers.

      ii.            To assess the nutritional status and associated factors of nutritional knowledge of mothers during pregnancy in the study area.

    iii.            To determine the dietary consumption habits of pregnant women in the study area.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study covers the assessment of nutritional status of pregnant women attending Dutse General Hospital in Jigawa State.

1.6 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Nutritional status: Refers to the physical well-being of the mothers in weight and height.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy is the term used to describe the period in which a foetus develops inside a woman’s womb or uterus. Pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks, or just over 9 months as measured from last menstrual period to delivery.