Nutrition knowledge among pregnant women in Lebanon: A cross-sectional study

Background: Women's knowledge of the nutritional guidelines during pregnancy can affect the health and nutritional status of both mother and child. Having good nutritional information related to maternal dietary intake and healthy lifestyles is therefore of great importance. However, there is limited published research that demonstrates pregnant women's knowledge of the nutritional guidelines during pregnancy in Lebanon.Objective: To assess the knowledge on food sources and energy recommendations as well as food safety practices and diet-health relationship among women during pregnancy in Lebanon.Design: A cross-sectional study.Methods: The study was conducted at prenatal care clinics in Lebanon, and all pregnant women present, regardless of nationality, were invited to complete the self-administered nutrition knowledge questionnaire. The study assessed five different nutrition knowledge domains (food sources of nutrients, dietary behaviors, food safety knowledge, micronutrients for fetal development, and energy requirements and weight gain) and the demographic characteristics of pregnant women who completed a multidimensional online survey based on validated and existing measures.Results: Four-hundred and ten responses were obtained. Approximately half of respondents (47%) held a university degree, for 42% of women this was their first pregnancy, and 71% had a planned pregnancy. Among the different nutrition knowledge domains, the highest levels of knowledge were for the behaviors that can minimize the effect of nausea/vomiting, heartburn, and constipation during pregnancy (63.9%) and the lowest levels of knowledge was for the importance of iodine and omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy (28.4%). Most of females knew about food safety practices during pregnancy (72.9%) but less than half were knowledgeable about listeriosis contamination (45.9%), and the types of fish that are the safest to select during pregnancy (47.8%).Conclusion: Despite the fact that pregnant women had an adequate level of knowledge in different nutrition-related areas, there was inadequate level of awareness related to critical nutrients and behaviors that can have adverse effects on mother and/or baby. Therefore, there is a need to focus on specific maternal nutrition aspects such as iron-rich foods, listeriosis food contamination, and nutrients that aid in fetal brain and retina development. Nutrition knowledge among pregnant women in LebanonWomen who adopt healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy are more likely to prevent adverse birth outcomes. Pregnant women from the Middle East have limited knowledge of the dietary guidelines for healthy eating during pregnancy. Yet there are no studies on nutritional knowledge of pregnant women residing in the Middle East. This study aimed to investigate the nutrition knowledge of pregnant women in Lebanon, which includes food sources of nutrients, diet-health relationships, food safety, and energy requirements during pregnancy. The highest levels of nutrition knowledge were for the behaviors that can reduce the effect of nausea and vomiting, heartburn, and constipation during pregnancy and the lowest levels of knowledge were for the importance of iodine and omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy. The level of awareness related to critical nutrients and behaviors that can have adverse effects on mother and/or baby is inadequate. Lebanese women need to obtain their information from reliable sources such as their healthcare providers. Collaboration between healthcare providers and dietitians is essential to ensure that pregnant women receive comprehensive and accurate nutritional advice throughout their pregnancy journey.