Determinant Of Nutritional Practice Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care At General Hospital Ogidi

Abstract

This paper assessed the determinants of nutritional practice among pregnant women attending antenatal care at General Hospital in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state. The study was guided by three research questions. Adescriptive survey design was used for the study. The population of the study consisted of two thousand four hundred and twelve (2412) registered pregnant women who attended antenatal care at the hospital. The sample of the study consisted of three hundred and forty three (343) pregnant women attending antenatal care at General Hospital Ogidi. The researcher developed a survey instrument tagged Determinants of Pregnant Women Nutrition (DPWN). The instrument was validated by experts, after which it was tested and retested on the same group of people after two weeks interval. The reliability measure of the research instrument was determined using test – retest method. The result gave 0.97 which is an indication that the instrument was reliable. The data collected were analyzed using percentages and chi-square. The finding revealed that pregnant women nutritional practices are affected by culture, income, parity and food availability. It has also shown that health education on nutritional lifestyles is important to educate pregnant women on healthy living. Based on the findings, conclusion, educational implications were highlighted.