Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding nutrition among pregnant females visiting the antenatal care outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital, Pune

Background: A balanced and adequate diet is of utmost importance during pregnancy to meet the increased needs of the mother and to prevent nutritional stress. Studies have shown that a majority of pregnant women in India consume food that is deficient in protein, caloric content and other vital nutrients. In Maharashtra, 20.8% women aged 15-49 years are malnourished and 54.2% are anaemic (NFHS 5 {2019-2020} state fact sheet). Poor dietary intake is one of the common cause of micronutrient deficiency. Maternal anaemia contributes to intergenerational cycle of poor growth in the off spring.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in antenatal care outpatient department (ANC-OPD) of BJGMC and SGH, Pune from January 2021 to February 2021. The 94 antenatal mothers were selected randomly. Semi structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect the data. Percentages and frequency were used to describe continuous and categorical variables. Test of significance chi square was used with p value less than 0.05 as significant. Analysis was done using SPSS version 26.0.Results: The 91.5% subjects were aware about need of extra amount of food during pregnancy. The 95.7% agreed having extra food during pregnancy is good for health of mother as well as for baby. The 67% actually practiced adding extra food during pregnancy.Conclusions: Education level of pregnant women and socio-economic status were positively associated with nutrition knowledge. The study shows satisfactory knowledge and attitude toward nutrition and diet during pregnancy but practices toward nutrition is still lacking among the study population. Thus, significant gap is there in translating knowledge attitude in practice.