Dietary diversity practice and its associated factors among pregnant women in Eastern Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study

Micronutrient insufficiencies during pregnancy have a marked impact on the health of the woman and her offspring. Evidence about the dietary practice of pregnant women is limited in Ethiopia, particularly in drought-prone areas where food insecurity is widely seen. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the dietary diversity practice and associated factors among pregnant women in Chiro district, Eastern Ethiopia. We employed a community-based cross-sectional survey in Chiro district, Eastern Ethiopia. The data were collected from 417 randomly selected pregnant women using an interview-administered structured questionnaire. EpiData-3.1 and STATA-14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. The binary logistic regression analysis was deployed to assess the association between dietary diversity practice and predictor variables. Out of 420 calculated sample size, 417 pregnant women completed the survey giving a response rate of 99.3%. The overall prevalence of optimal dietary diversity was 38.4% (95% CI: 33.7%, 43.2%). Educational status (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.71, 95% CI: 1.08, 6.81), meal frequency (AOR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.28), home gardening (AOR: 4.21, 95% CI: 2.48, 7.16), and household food security (AOR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.40) were independent predictors of dietary diversity practice.This study found that a substantial proportion of pregnant women had suboptimal dietary diversity, indicating a fundamental micronutrient inadequacy. Educational status, meal frequency, home gardening practice, and household food security were independent determinants of dietary diversity practice. The findings suggest that promoting maternal education and home gardening practice, and controlling food insecurity might enhance optimal dietary diversity. This community-based cross-sectional study investigated the dietary diversity practice of pregnant women. Accordingly, the majority of women had poor dietary diversity. Hence calling for comprehensive intervention to prevent micronutrient deficiency among these special population.image