Surveying pregnant women's nutritional status and some factors affecting it in cases referring to Shahrood health-care centers

Efficiency of nutrition has a crucial role during pregnancy. Malnutrition causes health vulnerability of mothers and thereby oncoming pregnancy side effects including low birth weight, delayed fetus growth, abortion and pre- term delivery. The present study was carried out to determine the nutritional status of pregnant women and some of the factors affecting it in those attending various health-care centers in Shahrood. In this descriptive study, 169 pregnant women who were referred to 8 health-care centers in Shahrood, experiencing their third trimester of pregnancy with mean age of 25.13 and marital age of 20.11 years were selected. The diet of the pregnant women was checked by recording consumed foodstuffs during the past 24 hours and for a period of one week. Biochemical and hematological tests as well as anthropometrical examinations using body mass index (BMI) were also performed. The results were statistically analyzed by SPSS software using chi-square, and t-tests at the significant level of P0.05. BMI analysis showed that 42.6% of the subjects had normal BMI, 20.13% were overweight, and 37.27% were obese. The study also revealed that 9.6% of the women had less than 11g/dL hemoglobin. A significant relationship was found between education and profession of the subjects, the dose of iron tablet taking, multivitamin use, the last referring to doctor, and kind of housing to BMI. Moreover, it was found that the intake of energy, protein, vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Ca, and iron among the subjects were below the standard level of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). The results of survey revealed that weight increase, obesity and the unavailability or shortage of suitable nutritive foods were the main problems which was due to lack of mothers’ awareness and information about the required balance between the intake of proper and nutritive diet and the amount of energy needed. Thus, it is essential in health-care centers to pay close attention to mothers’ education regarding their nutritional needs during pregnancy.