P4 A Comparative Study on Nutritional Knowledge, Dietary Habits and Attitude Between Korean and Chinese Postpartum Women

Abstract

Background An adequate diet is important for both the mother and newborn during the postpartum period. Cultural differences should be considered when providing nutrition education for postpartum women in East Asian countries. Even though there are cultural differences and similarities between Korea and China, there is lack of evidence on nutritional knowledge, dietary habits and attitude among postpartum women in both countries. Objective To assess nutritional knowledge, dietary habits and dietary attitude among postpartum women in Korea and China and examine differences between two countries. Study Design, Settings, Participants A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with 221 Korean and 221 Chinese postpartum women in outpatient facilities of Gyeonggi, South Korea and Jinhua, China. Measurable Outcome/Analysis A self-report survey was administered. Nutritional knowledge was assessed with 15 items, and dietary habits and dietary attitude were measured with 10 items each, using a five-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 25.0 with descriptive statistics, t-test, Chi-square, and Pearson's correlation. Results Korean postpartum women had significantly higher nutritional knowledge (12.36 ± 1.58) and dietary attitude scores (3.38 ± 0.47), compared to Chinese postpartum women (10.61 ± 1.75 and 3.10 ± 0.33, respectively; P Conclusion Nutrition education might be beneficial for both Korean and Chinese postpartum women to improve their dietary behaviors. Korean postpartum women had higher nutritional knowledge and dietary attitude than Chinese postpartum women. Otherwise, Chinese postpartum women had higher dietary habits than Korean postpartum women. Improving skills for healthy dietary habits might be more effective for Korean postpartum women, while improving nutritional knowledge and attitude might be effective in Chinese postpartum women. Nutrition education programs and policy should address these cultural specific needs. Funding None.