The Nutritional Knowledge of Pregnant Women Attending Wamy Health Center of the Health District of Tillabéri, Niger

Abstract

Aims: to assess the nutritional knowledge of pregnant women attending antenatal consultation at Wamy health center of the health district of Tillabéri. Study Design:  This is a cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Wamy Health Center, Health District of Tillabéri, Niger republic, from August to September 2022. Methodology: We randomly selected 60 pregnant women admitted for antenatal consultation. Semi-structured questionnaire that was developed for the purpose have permitted to collect information concerning the sociodemographic characteristics and nutrition knowledge of admitted pregnant women. Results: The results showed that majority of the mothers (96.7%) were unaware of the nutritional requirements during pregnancy which include knowledge about food sources of macronutrients and micronutrients. Most of them were recorded to be aware of the benefits of maternal diets during pregnancy (85%) and on the growth and development of fetus (80%). Conclusion: Findings highlight the knowledge gap on nutrition that exists in antenatal mothers attending Wamy health center of the health district of Tillabéri.   Therefore, nutrition advice as an integral part of the antenatal nutritional counseling should be reinforced and intensified within the maternity unit of the health center in order to effectively address this issue.