Background
Methods
Description of study area
Enrolment of respondents
Respondent’s socio-demographic characteristics
Belief and practice of food taboos among respondents
Data management
Ethical consideration
Results
Socio-demographic factors | Number (N) | Percentages (%) |
---|---|---|
Age (years) |
N = 149 | |
≤25 | 38 | 25.5 |
26–30 | 59 | 39.6 |
31–35 | 34 | 22.8 |
≥36 | 18 | 12.1 |
Parity |
N = 145 | |
1st pregnancy | 39 | 26.9 |
2nd–5th pregnancy | 94 | 64.8 |
>5th pregnancy | 12 | 8.3 |
Ethnicity |
N = 149 | |
Igbo | 143 | 96.0 |
Other ethnic groupsa
| 6 | 4.0 |
Religion |
N = 149 | |
Christianity | 145 | 97.3 |
Othersb
| 4 | 2.7 |
Highest education |
N = 149 | |
University or equivalent | 76 | 51.0 |
Secondary ± other professional training | 50 | 33.6 |
Primary Education | 16 | 10.7 |
No education | 7 | 4.7 |
Occupation |
N = 144 | |
Skilled | 41 | 28.5 |
Semi-skilled | 25 | 17.4 |
Unskilled | 40 | 27.8 |
Unemployed | 38 | 26.4 |
Reasons for avoiding certain foods in pregnancy based on taboos
{AJ, 32 years, gravida 4}; “I cannot eat snail in pregnancy because it will make my baby to be sluggish in life and spit too much saliva.”
{CM, 28 years, gravida 2}; “I will not eat bush meat like Grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) when I am pregnant because it will cause my labour to be difficult and prolonged during delivery”.
{ABJ, 34 years, gravida 6}; “I avoid starchy food like ‘garri’ (cassava flakes) and nodules in pregnancy because they will make my baby to have excess weight which will be difficult to deliver except by operation”
{ZE, 28 years, multigravida}; I don’t give young children egg because it will cause them to start stealing because it is very sweet”.{MA, 33 years, gravida 2}; “I don’t allow my children to ‘drink garri’ because it causes eye problem’{UC, 29 years, multigravida}; “I avoid ‘sweet’ in small children because it causes worm”
Variable (Definition) | Estimate | Odds Ratio | OR (95 % CI) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lower | Upper |
P
| |||
Age (≤30 years vs. > 30 years) | - 0.5 | 0.61 | 0.27 | 1.39 | 0.24 |
Parity (Multigravida vs. Primigravida) | 0.78 | 2.20 | 0.89 | 5.45 | 0.09 |
Highest educational Attainment (University/equivalent vs. Non-university degree/equivalent) | 0.40 | 1.49 | 0.67 | 3.28 | 0.38 |
Occupation (High-profile careers vs. Low-profile careers) | - 0.37 | 0.69 | 0.31 | 1.55 | 0.37 |