Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Iranian Pregnant Women towards Proper Nutrition during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is associated with changes in the woman's nutritional needs. The mother's nutritional status affects her own health, that of the fetus, and the outcome of the pregnancy. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pregnant women towards proper nutrition.

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 445 pregnant women who were referred to urban health centers in Jiroft, Kiar, Fasa, Borkhar, and Ilam cities in 2020. Participants were selected by multi-stage random sampling. The instrument to collect data was multi-section research made questionnaire including demographic information, knowledge, attitude, and practice towards proper nutrition. Data was analyzed using SPSS 18 by Chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation coefficient.

The mean age of participants was 29.58±9.81 years and the mean month of pregnancy was 5.58±2.30 in all cities. Of them 59.10% had a good level of knowledge. In general, 81.10% had a positive attitude, but in Kiar city, 86.70% of pregnant women had a moderately desirable level of attitude and 63.8% were in a good level of behavior. There was a significant relationship between the history of receiving education and knowledge level in Jiroft and Kiar cities (p<0.05).

Due to the low levels of knowledge, attitude and practice of pregnant women towards proper nutrition, it is recommended to provide nutrition counseling for pregnant women in health centers. As a result of women's awareness of the principles of proper nutrition during pregnancy, the consequences of pregnancy will improve.