Dietary Practices and Their Determinants of Pregnant Mothers Attending Antenatal Clinics in Selected Medical Officer of Health Areas in Colombo District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Proper maternal nutrition is vital for fetal development and maternal health. Dietary practices among pregnant women are influenced by personal, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. Despite established healthcare, nutritional disparities persist in Sri Lanka, necessitating targeted interventions to improve maternal nutrition and pregnancy outcomes. Objective: To assess the dietary practices and their determinants of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in four purposively selected MOH areas in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A total of 422 participants were selected through a cluster sampling method. Data were gathered using a validated questionnaire with two sections, including sociodemographic data and a pre-validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Appropriate dietary practices were identified; if the women had at least four meals a day, high food variety score (FVS), high dietary diversity (DD), and high animal source consumption (ASF). Data were descriptively analysed for frequencies and percentages using SPSS version 26.0. Poisson regression was applied to identify determinants of dietary practices. Statistical significance was considered at p<0.05. Results: Of the total, 380 (90%) participants responded. The mean±SD age was 30.72±3.96 years, with the majority (98.2%) being married, and residing in urban areas (73.7%). Of them, 64.7% exhibited high DD. Additionally, 52.1% had a high FVS, and 64.7% demonstrated high ASF. Overall, 64.7% followed appropriate dietary practices. Higher educational attainment, formal employment, and residential areas were determinants of appropriate dietary practices, whereas younger age, lower education levels, and being a housewife were associated with inappropriate dietary practices (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study highlights that predominantly pregnant mothers had appropriate dietary practices, but a considerable number were found to have poor practices. While age, occupation, higher education level, and residential areas influence their dietary practices, immediate interventions need to address the vulnerable groups.