Impact of dietary behavior on the nutritional status of middle-aged pregnant women

The maternal diet is a vital factor to ensure the health and nutrition of the mother during pregnancy and for the upcoming child. During pregnancy, women’s nutritional needs increase to fulfill the extra demand of their bodies. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between dietary behavior and the nutritional status of middle-aged pregnant women in Bangladesh. A technical cross-sectional study was conducted on middle-aged pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in Dhaka. By following a simple random sampling method, 114 pregnant women aged 30 years or above were selected for the study. Data collection was done in January-February of 2022 by conducting a face-to-face interview. The findings reveal that most (35.49%) of the pregnant women were aged between 35 to 38 years. Among all, more than three-fourths (77.07%) of the respondents had food security. A total of 16.38% of respondents used to consume from 7 or more food groups whereas more than two-thirds (64.68%) of the respondents had an acceptable food consumption score. The nutritional status of the respondents was significantly associated with their dietary behavior in terms of the three indicators. Pregnant women at risk of food insecurity should be identified as soon as possible (preferably before conception) and first get food assistance in the form of food baskets or food stamps through social security programs. Therefore, it can be recommended that women's empowerment can improve women's mental health, food insecurity, and improved nutrition at the family level.