The impacts of okra consumption on the nutritional status of pregnant women, west Ethiopia

Food-insecurity and poor-quality diets remain a challenge for pregnant women. Consumption of okra has a great impact on improving the nutritional status of pregnant women. Okra plays a critical role in the prevention of malnutrition among pregnant women living in resource-limited settings. The evidence is scarce on the impacts of okra on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement of pregnant women. A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among randomly selected 224 pregnant women from June 1 to July 30, 2020. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. The MUAC was measured by using an adult MUAC measuring tape. Data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis by linear regression. The statistical significance of variables was declared at a p-value of .05, and unstandardized beta (beta) coefficients along with a 95% confidence interval were computed. The proportion of pregnant women with low MUAC (<= 22 cm) was 42.4%. In the multivariable linear regression model, hemoglobin concentration (beta = 0.346, [95% CI: 0.153, 0.539], p =.001), food insecurity (beta = - 0.887, (95% CI: -1.441, -0.334), p =.002), daily consumption of okra (beta = 1.269, [95% CI: 0.583, 1.956], p <= .001), and women working in NGO (beta = 0.443, [95% CI: 0.256, 0.630], p =.001) were significant variables. The prevalence of malnutrition among pregnant women (MUAC <= 22 cm) was 42.4%. Therefore, behavioral change communication interventions to promote okra consumption on regular basis were recommended.