Nutrition history of pregnant women during their follow-up in some hospitals in Misurata
Author
Ayman Balla Mustafa , Abdulmajeed Bashir Mlitan , Abdalraouf Omar Alsraity
Abstract
This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to track dietary patterns, identify nutritional problems, and assess how pregnant women meet their nutritional requirements during pregnancy. The study was conducted across five public hospitals in Misurata, Libya, involving a random sample of 130 pregnant women at various gestation stages. Data was collected through face-to-face questionnaires covering sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle, alongside anthropometric measurements (BMI) and blood tests (hemoglobin levels). The results revealed that a significant proportion of the participants (65%) were overweight. Dietary assessments indicated variations in food consumption, such as daily intake of fish and chicken, contrasted with lower consumption frequencies of some dairy products. Furthermore, hemoglobin levels for the majority of women in their third trimester (48 out of 60) ranged between 10 to 13 mg/dl. The study also highlighted a lack of regular medical follow-up, with a large number of participants reporting no consistent visits to physicians or nutritionists. In conclusion, the high prevalence of overweight and specific dietary imbalances underscore the urgent need for enhanced nutritional awareness and regular monitoring by healthcare professionals throughout pregnancy to ensure optimal maternal and fetal outcomes.
Keywords
Pregnant women, Dietary patterns, Body Mass Index, Hemoglobin, Misurata.
Full Text:
References
King, C. (2000). Physiology of pregnancy and nutrient metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr, 71:1218S–25S. Ziegler,, & Filer, L. (1996). Present knowledge in nutrition. Washington, DC: ILSI Press. Yip, (2001). Iron. In: Bowman B.A., Russell R.M., editor. Present knowledge in nutrition. Washington, DC: ILSI Press. Ladipo, A. (2000). Nutrition in pregnancy: mineral and vitamin supplements. Am J Clin Nutr, 72:280S–290S. Yasmin, S., Osrin, D., Paul, E., & Costello, A. (2001). Neonatal mortality of low-birth-weight infants in Bangladesh. Bull World Health Organ,79:608–614. Barker, J., Eriksson, J. G., Forsen, T., & Osmond, C. (2002). Fetal origins of adult disease: strength of effects and biological basis. Int J Epidemiol, 31:1235–1239. doi: 10.1093/ije/31.6.1235. Lumey, H. (1992). Decreased birthweights in infants after maternal in utero exposure to the Dutch famine of 1944–1945. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol, 6:240–253. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3016.1992.tb00764.x. Scholl, T. O., & Hediger, M. L. (1994). Anemia and iron-deficiency anemia: compilation of data on pregnancy outcome. Am J Clin Nutr, 59:492S- Yip, (2000). Significance of an abnormally low or high hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy: special consideration of iron nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr, 72:272S–279S. Berry, R. J.,Li, Z., Erickson, J. D., Li, S., Moore, C. A., Wang, H., Mulinare, J., Zhao, , Wong, L. Y., Gindler, J., Hong, S. X., & Correa, A. (1999). Prevention of neural-tube defects with folic acid in China. N Engl J Med, 341:1485–1490. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199911113412001. Zhai, Y., He, Y. N., Wang, Z. H., Yu, W. T., Hu, Y. S., & Yang, X. G. (2005). The status and trends of dietary nutrients intake of Chinese population. Acta Nutrimenta Sinica, 27:181–184. Lai, J. Q., Yin, S. A., Ma, G. S., Pu, J. H., & Yang, X. G. (2007). The nutrition and health survey of pregnant women in Acta Nutrimenta Sinica, 29:4–8. Hao, L., Tang, Y., & Jiang, W. X. (1999). A Comparison Study of Thiamin and Riboflavin Status in Pregnant Women between Urban and Rural Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi, 2:208–210. Zeng, L., Dibley, M. J., Cheng, Y., Dang, S., Yan, H., Chang, S., & Kong, L. (2008). Impact of micronutrient supplementation during pregnancyon birth weight, duration of gestation, and perinatal mortality in rural western China: double blind cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 337:a2001. doi: 1136/bmj.a2001. Wang, L. D. (2005). Report of the Chinese National Nutrition and Health Survey-1: 2002 Summary. Beijing, China: People's Medical Publishing Filmer, D., & Pritchett, L. H. (2001). Estimating wealth effects without expenditure data–or tears: an application to educational enrollments instates of India. Demography, 38:115–132. Cheng, Y., Yan, H., Dibley, M. J., Shen, Y., Li, Q., & Zeng, L. (2008). Validity and reproducibility of a semi-quantitative food frequencyquestionnaire for use among pregnant women in rural China. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 17:166. Yang,, Wang, G., & Pang, X. (2002). China Food Composition. Beijing, China: Peking University Medical Center Press. Shub,, Huning, E. Y., Campbell, K. J., & McCarthy, E. A. (2013). Pregnant women's knowledge of weight, weight gain, complications of obesity and weight management strategies in pregnancy. BMC Res Notes, 6:278. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-6-278. Ma, G., Li, Y., Jin, Y., Zhai, F., Kok, F. J., & Yang, X. (2007). Phytate intake and molar ratios of phytate to zinc, iron and calcium in the diets ofpeople in China. Eur J Clin Nutr, 61:368–374. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602513. Nitert, D., Foxcroft, K. F., Lust, K., Fagermo, N., Lawlor, D. A., & O'Callaghan, M. (2011). Overweight and obesity knowledge prior to pregnancy: a survey study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 11:96. ChineseNutrition (2000). Chinese dietary reference intakes. Beijing, China: China Light Industry Publishing House. Gibson, S. (2005). Principles of Nutritional Assessment. Second Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Departmentof (1991). Report on Health and Social Subjects no 41. Dietary Reference Values for Food, Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. London. (2001). Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum,Nickel, Silicon, Vaadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Gibson, R. S., & Ferguson, E. L. (1999). An interactive 24-hour recall for assessing the adequacy of iron and zinc intakesin developing countries. Washington, DC: International Life Sciences Institutes Press. FAO/WHO. (1988). Requirements of vitamin A, iron, folate and vitamin B12 Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. Rome: Food andAgricultural Organization of the United Nations. Rwebembera, A. A., Munubhi, E. D., Manji, K. P., Mpembeni, R., & Philip, J. (2006). Relationship between infant birth weight <= 2000 g andmaternal zinc levels at Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. J Trop Pediatr, 52:118–125. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmi077. Yin, S. A. (2008). Nutrition and health status of Chinese women (child-Bearing age, pregnancy & lactation) – The 2002 National Nutrition andHealth Survey. Beijing, China: People's Medical Publishing House. Mouratidou, T., Ford, F., Prountzou, F., & Fraser, R. (2006). Dietary assessment of a population of pregnant women in Sheffield, UK. Br J Nutr,96:929–935. doi: 10.1017/BJN20061945. Rogers, I., & Emmett, P. (1998). Diet during pregnancy in a population of pregnant women in South West England. ALSPAC Study Team. Eur JClin Nutr, 52:246–250. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600543. Dai, Q., Shu, X. O., Jin, F., Potter, J. D., Kushi, L. H., Teas, J., Gao, Y. T., & Zheng, W. (2001). Population-based case-control study of soyfoodintake and breast cancer risk in Shanghai. Brit J Cancer, 85:372–378. doi: 10.1054/bjoc.2001.1873. Liu,, Mai, J., Rao, X., & Gao, X. (2001). Dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins and personal demographic characteristics of Guangdong residents. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu, 30:107–110. Willett, (1998). Nutritional Epidemiology. Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wise, (1995). Phytate and zinc bioavailability. Int J Food Sci Nutr, 46:53–63. Liu, Q., Zhao, L. Y., Zhai, F. Y., Jia, F. M., Liu, A. D., Wang, S. S., & Ping, B. (2004). Research on nutrition and health among women in Longli County, Guizhou. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu, 33:339. King, C. (2000). Determinants of maternal zinc status during pregnancy. Am J Clin Nutr, 71:1334S–43S. Qu, J. B., Zhang, Z. W., Shimbo, S., Liu, Z. M., Cai, X., Wang, L. Q., Watanabe, T., Nakatsuka, H., Matsuda-Inoguchi, N., Higashikawa, K., & Ikeda, M. (2000). Nutrient intake of adult women in Jilin Province, China, with special reference to urban-rural differences in nutrition in the Chinese continent. Eur J Clin Nutr, 54:741–748. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601081. Chang, S., Ge, K., Zhai, F., & Jia, F. (1999). Dietary intake of some micronutrients in different provinces of China. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu, 28:364– Hao, L., Tian, Y., Zhang, F., Zhong, X., Zhang, B., Tan, M., Tang, Y., & Li, Z. (2002). Variation of plasma folate levels in adults between someareas and different seasons in China. Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi, 36:308–310. Erkkola,, Karppinen, M., Jarvinen, A., Knip, M., & Virtanen, S. M. (1998). Folate, vitamin D, and iron intakes are low among pregnant Finnish women. Eur J Clin Nutr, 52:742–748. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600638. Freisling, H., Elmadfa, I., & Gall, I. (2006). The effect of socioeconomic status on dietary intake, physical activity and Body Mass Index inAustrian pregnant women. J Hum Nutr Diet, 19:437–445. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2006.00723.x. He, L., Zhao, W., Zhang, X.,You, Y., & Chen, (2004). Trend of seasonal change on intake of nutrients in a year of the residents in both northern and southern China. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu, 33:694–697. Abramson, H., Slome, C., & Kosovsky, C. (1963). Food frequency interview as an epidemiological tool. Am J Public Health, 53:1093–1101. Allen, H., Oddoye, E. A., & Margen, S. (1979). Protein-induced hypercalciuria: a longer term study. Am J Clin Nutr, 32:741–749. Beaton, G. H.,Milner, J., Corey, , McGuire, V., Cousins, M., Stewart, E., de Ramos, M., Hewitt, D., Grambsch, P. V., Kassim, N., & Little, J. A. (1979). Sources of variance in 24-hour dietary recall data: implications for nutrition study design and interpretation. Am J Clin Nutr, 32:2546–2559. Beaton, G. H., Milner, J., McGuire, V., Feather, T. E., & Little, J. A. (1983). Source of variance in 24-hour dietary recall data: implications fornutrition study design and interpretation. Carbohydrate sources, vitamins, and minerals. Am J Clin Nutr, 37:986–995. Block, (1982). A review of validations of dietary assessment methods. Am J Epidemiol, 115:492–505. Block,, & Hartman, A. M. (1989). Issues in reproducibility and validity of dietary studies. Am J Clin Nutr, 50:1133–1138. Cassidy, M. (1982). Subcultural prenatal diets of Americans. In Alternative Dietary Practices and Nutritional Abuses in Pregnancy (pp. 25–60). National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. Festa, M., Anderson, H. L., Dowdy, R. P., & Ellersieck, M. R. (1985). Effect of zinc intake on copper excretion and retention in men. Am J Clin Nutr, 41:285–292. Frank, C., & Pelican, S. (1986). Guidelines for selecting a dietary analysis system. J Am Diet Assoc, 86:72–75. Garn, M., Larkin, F. A., & Cole, P. E. (1976). The problem with one-day dietary intakes. Ecol Food Nutr, 5:245–247. Hambidge, K. M., Krebs, N. F., Sibley, L., & English, J. (1987). Acute effects of iron therapy on zinc status during pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol,4:593–596. Heaney, P., & Skillman, T. G. (1971). Calcium metabolism in normal human pregnancy. J Clin doEncrinol Metab, 33:661–670.