Nutrient Adequacy and Diet Quality among Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Selected Primary Healthcare Centres in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Adequate dietary intake during pregnancy supports adequate intrauterine growth of the fetus and normal birth weight, which can have a lifelong effect on the child’s development. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrient adequacy and diet quality of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Selected Primary Healthcare Centers of Ogbomoso north local government area. Methodology: This study was cross-sectional in design. It was conducted among 361 pregnant women in their second and third trimesters using stratified random sampling. A Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the respondents. Data from the 24-hour dietary recall was analyzed using food processor. Minimum Dietary Diversity of Women (MDD-W) was used to assess the quality of the diet consumed by each respondent. Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 27 was used for all data analysis. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 27.66 ± 5.29 years. Their intake of protein, carbohydrate, vitamins (A, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12), and minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus) were found to be inadequate. Approximately 54.0% of the respondents met MDD-W criteria, as they consumed 5-10 food groups. Only Fat has a statistically significant correlation with diet quality (R = -0.12, p = 0.02), but the strength is weak and negative (p < 0.05). All other nutrients showed negligible correlations with no statistical significance. Conclusion: The study identified significant gaps in nutrient adequacy and diet quality among pregnant women, despite adequate caloric intake.