Abstract

KNOWLEDGE ON NUTRITION DURING PREGNANCY AMONG MOTHERS ATTENDING ANTENATAL CARE AT A SECONDARY LEVEL HOSPITAL IN COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH

Md. Abdul Mazid Azad, Iffat Ara Begum, Mohammad Shamsul Huda, A. B. M. Mokbul Hossen Roby, Afsana Anwar, Nusrat Jahan and Abu Ansar Md. Rizwan*

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Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is a crucial period of a woman’s life when the nutritional needs are increased for the growth and development of the expecting mother and her upcoming child. In this vital period, to ensure appropriate nutrition for the mothers, knowledge on maternal nutrition is very much important. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge on nutrition during pregnancy among mothers attending antenatal care at a secondary level hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Methodology: A descriptive type of cross-sectional study was conducted among the pregnant women admitted to the wards of the Gynecology Department of a secondary level hospital at Cox’s Bazar. The calculated sample size was 356. Pregnant women aged more than 18 years admitted to the gynecology department were included in the study and the women were selected by following simple random sampling method. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: About twofifth of the respondent’s knowledge level was found excellent, more than one-fourth of the respondent’s knowledge level was good on nutrition during pregnancy. Respondent’s age, level of education, and numbers of pregnancies were found significantly associated (P

Keywords: Nutritional knowledge, pregnancy, antenatal mothers, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.