Abstract
The Minangkabau people of West Sumatra in Indonesia are renowned for their matrilineal culture with property and land passing down from mother to daughter. Despite there being a fairly balanced social status for women in the community, the impact of health inequalities is uneven. This study was therefore carried out to explore the relationship between the social, cultural and economic contexts in such a distinctive community with maternal nutrition and pregnancy-related health outcomes, from the perspectives of the mothers, fathers and care providers. Qualitative methods were used to undertake this study in collaboration with partners from the University of Andalas in a suburban area of Padang district. The data collection method was qualitative, semi-structured interviews (n = 19) with women, men, midwives and community health workers. The data were recorded with informed consent, transcribed in the local language and then translated into English prior to being thematically analysed. The major themes which emerged from the data included ‘Minangkabau matrilineality and role of women’; ‘culture and supportive attitude towards pregnant women’; ‘dietary patterns, attitude and access to food’; and ‘limited access to information about food and nutrition’. The findings showed healthy dietary patterns such as regular consumption of vegetables and fruit among the participants. However, the issues of poverty, access to food, dietary taboos and inadequate nutritional information remained major challenges for the mothers and the families who participated in the study. The evidence from this study suggests that the matrilineal culture of the Minangkabau promotes the empowerment of women and offers an encouraging environment for enhancing reproductive health. This lends itself to co-developing locally sensitive and sustainable complex interventions incorporating professional support and building on family and community back-up, enhancing knowledge and demystifying dietary misinformation to improve maternal health and nutrition.
Highlights
Tackling maternal health problems and reducing maternal deaths remain major concerns in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1]
It should be noted that the data in this paper are reported in accordance with the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) using the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ), which is a 32-item checklist [18]
Challenges identified such as poverty, economic restrictions, lack of access to adequate sources and insufficient information are somewhat modifiable and given the social status of women in these communities being of a favourable nature, interventions directed at women as a focal point for families would be a good start
Summary
Tackling maternal health problems and reducing maternal deaths remain major concerns in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1]. SDGs which set a vision to transform our world by 2030 include seventeen major global goals which are related to maternal health, goals 3 ‘Good health and wellbeing’ and 5 ‘Gender equality’ [2]. There are multi-factorial causes of maternal mortality including poverty, lack of access to health-care services and resources, inadequate food and nutrition, and health-seeking behaviours and belief systems [3]. Pregnancy is a distinct phase in the life of a mother providing an opportunity for applied interventions to reduce health inequalities for mothers and their families. Maternal nutrition is usually subject to contexts within the society in which a woman lives. These include social, cultural, economic, political, environmental and behavioural systems which impact on the nutritional wellbeing of pregnant women. It has been suggested that cultural belief, particular taboos and attitudes of women, their partners and their families influence their choices about what to eat and what not to eat during pregnancy [5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
