P88: Is There a Need for Nutrition Education amongst Pregnant Women in the Vaal Triangle, Gauteng, South Africa?

Abstract

This study formed part of a clinical intervention trial under controlled conditions to determine the anthropometric indications and nutritional intake of the pregnant women in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa. The main purpose of this study was to determine the need for nutrition education for pregnant women (n = 84). A validated demographic, health and medical questionnaire, and QFFQ was used and statistically analysed. Trained fieldworkers conducted interviews with the help of food models to estimate portion size. The anthropometric measurements included weight, height and weight- for- height. The top ten items most often consumed by pregnant women were, in descending order: Maize meal-stiff, tea, milk, maize meal-soft, apples, oranges, cold drink, brown bread, rice and coffee. Daily intakes (mean ± SD) were: 11284.59 ± 4002.16 kJ, 85.85 ± 36.88 g protein, 97.99 ± 43.66 g fat, 337.04 ± 132.96 g carbohydrate, 13.74 ± 7.48 mg iron, 295.80 ± 237.79 μg folic acid. The results showed that 81% of the pregnant women are unemployed and majority of the sample population is overweight or obese. There is a clear indication that the sample population is not aware of proper dietary guidelines since 56% of the pregnant women have been overweight before and during pregnancy and 35% of the women had no physical activity during pregnancy. Therefore there is an urgent need for nutrition education for these low-income, pregnant women in order to improve and encourage healthy eating patterns to prevent malnutrition during pregnancy and therefore have healthier pregnancy outcomes. This project was funded by the NRF.