Full Project – Nutritional knowledge and practice among the expecting mother

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Eating is one activity most of us take for granted (Donatelle & Dallis 1989). At time, according to Donatelle and Dallis we are concerned about eating sufficient food that would get us through the day and less attention is given on their nutritional contents. The trend towards a healthful lifestyle calls for healthy eating yet in the effort to eat nutritionally. Many people wonder if they are actually eating a balanced diet or if they have been duped by fed while for some others, any food can go.

Although our choices of food are determined by many factors such as the availability of food in the locality the money available to purchase these foods, the food supplies including the ways the foods are being processed or prepared and the knowledge and appreciation the individual feels about certain food values (Okafor, 2002), it is important that we realize that we are what we eat and that nutrition has become very important in both preventive and curative health care system (United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF 1995). According to UNICEF, diabetes, factors have been implicated in the etiology of many diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and several diseases of children, UNICEF (1995) also pointed out that Nutrition has shifted from its previous focus on the minimum amount needed to prevent or cure acute deficiency diseases, for example scurvy, and beriberi, to the need to promote health, longitivity resistance to chronic disorders like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and even acquires immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In pregnancy the importance of nutrition is being emphasized in the newspapers, magazines and health journals and even in many health related television shows to mention bat a few.

Nutrition can be defined as the science of food. Within the body, and its relationship to good health it includes the study of the major food components proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals including water and more than 50 various nutrients of which they are composed (Levy, Digman & Shirref, 1984). It is therefore clear that for somebody to eat healthfully he or she must have adequate knowledge of the different components of food we eat.

Nutrition also can be defined as the science that investigates the relationship between physiological function and the essential elements of the food we eat (Donatelle& Davis 1998). The world book encyclopedia on health (1996) simply puts nutrition as the process by which living things take in foods and use it. It is therefore the study of food and the process of receiving nourishment from the food we eat after digestion and metabolism. Brien (2010) defines it as the study of food and nourishment, examining the nutritional contents of foods, the amount of nutrients required for healthy growth and function and varies for different people.

The extent of practices of nutrition is dependent among other things on the level of knowledge on has about nutrition. According to AYO, (2003). Nutritional knowledge refers to that aspect of education that prepares one for meaningful nutritional practices. AYO emphasized that every living thing has the right to have access and the right to affordability of nutrition food and at when due. However, Donatelle et-al (1998) were of the view that many were accessible to vast number of choice of food or almost every nutrient by implications should have fewer nutritional problems that their counterparts who do not have such affluence but unfortunately nutritionists according to them, believe that “Diet of affluence”. Were responsible for many of their diseases and disabilities such as heart diseases, certain types of cancer, hypertension, cirrhosis of the liver, tooth decay and chronic obesity.

Nutritional knowledge and practices are being emphasized upon according to Williams (2007), because of their role in determining the pregnancy outcome as well as the state of health of the mother after childbirth. In support of this, Karger and Basel (2010) emphasized that nutrition is important to expectant mothers because it can spell the difference between a healthy new born and a sick child. Karger and Basel advised the expectant mother to follow scientifically-proven practices to make sure that the baby is healthy and strong when it is born. This according to them will be achieved by eating food rich in vitamins and nutrients.

An expectant mother according to Crowder (1995) is a woman that is pregnant. According to him, pregnancy is the fertilization of an ovum and its implementation in a women’s uterus. He noted further, that for approximately nine months the mother carries the developing child within her and that the pregnancy terminates with delivery of the child, Nach (2002) observed that the relationship that exists between the mother and her unborn child is much.

According to her, “even while the child is still in the womb, its genes engage the environment of the womb in an elaborate conversation, which is a two-way dialogue that involves not only the air the mother breathes and water she drinks but also what drugs she takes, what diseases she contact and what hardship she suffers”.

According to Nash (200;19) once the beginning embryo is able to obtain good nutrition directly from the mother, development can proceed more rapidly. But if what is obtained, form the mother is not nutritional healthy or balanced, so many complications are bound to arise in pregnancy. Williams (1981) noted that hazards increase with age, the number of pregnancies and the intervets between pregnancies influence the nutritional needs of the mother and the outcome of pregnancy.

Furthermore, Zhn et al (1999) observed that pregnant women that are underweight and those advanced or young maternal age need nutritional support and counseling programmes that will improve birth weight, decrease infant mortality and improve participants diet. Also white head, (1994) maintained that those women delivering first child at over 30 years old were not nutritionally prepared. This is because at that age upwards, many women had been on same types of weight reduction diet which makes their nutritional status not better than that of many teenagers.

More so, an expectant mother who lacks good education and exposure may be easily deceived by smooth takes of nutritional quacks who advocate fad diets. Not only that the habits and practices of those who lack good education would be affected by taboos, superstition and prejudices as Makinde (1980) noted.

Pre-study investigation from some hospitals within the Local Government Area revealed that, majority of the women of study start antenatal care very late and as such do not start their nutritional supplements early enough. The expectant mothers of these Local Government Area still at these century have children with birth defects of the brain and spinal cord (Neural tube), and other malformation of the bone, have very low birth weight while some are overweight most of the expectant mothers them salves have low resistance, diabetes and many are anemic.

All these problems may be associated to poor eating habits it becomes necessary therefore that an expectant mother should have adequate knowledge of nutrition and should be able to eat nutritionally. The writer therefore, is of the view that if the level of knowledge and practices of nutrition among expectant mothers in Idah Local Government Areas are identified adequate information about what constitutes good nutrition given to them, their nutritional behavior will improve with motivation. It is against this background that this topic has been chosen to survey the nutritional knowledge and practices of expectant mothers in Idah Local Government Area Kogi State.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Ayo (2003:20) mentioned that in the World Health Organization (WHO) sponsored conference of delegate on 134 countries and 67 United Nation members in 1978, adequate nutrition was classified as “a fundamental human right” the aim being in pursuance of an acceptable level of nutrition for the people of the world. The women of Idah Local Government Area lack the knowledge of good nutrition will expose them to diseases associated with malnutrition for example, Chronic obesity, tooth decay, overweight & low birth weight and associated problems.

Williams (1981) pointed out that optimal nutrition is a fundamental aspect of therapy for many complication of pregnancy like iron deficiency anemia, Hemorrhagic anemia, Megloblastic anemia and toxemiaothses health problems have a high morbidity and mortality consequences. Poor nutrition according to Ramakrishna (2008) is a known cause of low birth weight which remains the significant public health problem in many development countries. Nash (2002) clearly state that although there may be long term health to the fetus, maternal under nourishment which stunts growth even when they are born full term, may stop such lists.

Also from experience and observation many maternity homes or antenatal clinics in Idah rarely give nutritional talks to expectant mothers and some that give nutritional talks to expectant mothers do so with inadequate emphasis on its importance to pregnancy outcome. This is far from right and is unlike what is obtainable from some other parts of Nigeria and abroad (Overseas) where pregnant women are being educated about what constitutes good nutrition before, during and after childbirth.

Pregnant women should be though what constitute a healthy diet especially from the local rich foods obtainable for such locality.

To the best knowledge of the researcher no work has been done on these women in to determine how much they knew and practice nutrition. It is against his background that this study has been design to find out the following purpose of the study.

To this effect the essence of this study is to find out the Nutritional Knowledge and Practice among Expecting Mothers in Idah local Government area Kogi State.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study was to determine the nutritional knowledge and practice among expectant mothers in Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State. The specific purposes were:

To ascertain the level of nutritional knowledge possessed by the expectant mothers in Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State.
To determine the level of nutritional practices, of those expectant mothers of study.
To educate the pregnant mother and their developing baby for numerous and various ranging of food they ate for the wellbeing of the baby and the mothers.
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is expected to access the level of knowledge and the practices of nutrition among the expectant mothers in Idah. The anticipated results of the study will help in the overall improvement of the health status of the community since the pregnancy mothers who prepare meals for the family will get an insight to what constitutes adequate nutrition. This information will be useful to other health professionals who are seeking ways of improving health care.

The government ministries of health and education, this study will help the planners to know the state of knowledge of those women and make preparation for enlightening them. It will help the curriculum planners to incorporate nutrition in school curriculum as well as findings ways of making the students appreciate the need for good nutrition and practice them. Fellow researchers reviewing literature and who wish to learn from the experience of previous researchers on a similar subject will also find the work both useful and stimulating. For future researchers, it will form a base line for those interested on such areas of study.

RESEARCH QUESTION

This study is on the nutritional knowledge and practice of the expectant mothers in Idah Local Government Areas of Kogi State. To achieve this, the following specific research questions were asked.

What in the nutritional knowledge of the expectant mother in Idah.
What are the nutritional practices of the expected mothers in Idah Local Government Areas of Kogi State.
What are the educations that help the pregnant mother and their developing baby with it in Idah Local Government Areas of Kogi State.
- SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study would not cover every aspect to nutrition. It will be limited to five essential food nutrient including water and fiber as they play important roles in body. The six essential nutrients to be studied are proteins, vitamins and minerals, simple carbohydrates and fats. Although there are many categories of pregnant women, this study will consider only degenerative health, problems that require specific nutrition or dieting like in diabetic, heart and liver cases.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Knowledge: Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions or skills, which is acquired through experience or learning.

Nutrition: Nutrition is the science that interprets interaction of nutrients and other substances in food in relation to maintenance growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism. It includes food intake absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, catabolism and excretion.

Health: Health is the level of functional and metabolic efficiency of a living organism. In humans it is the ability of individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental or social changes. The World Health Organization (W.H.O) defined health in its broader sense in its 1948 constitution as a state of complete physical mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Expectant Mothers: Pregnancy, also known as gestation, is the time during which one or more offspring develops inside a women. Pregnancy can occur by sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology. Childbirth typically occurs around 40 weeks from the last menstrual period.

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Full Project – Nutritional knowledge and practice among the expecting mother

Full Project – Nutritional knowledge and practice among the expecting mother

Full Project – Nutritional knowledge and practice among the expecting mother

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