Magnitude Of Food Aversion And Associated Factors Among Pregnant Mothers Attending Antenatal Care In Holeta Town’s Public Health Facility, Holeta, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2024

Abstract

Abstract Background: Food aversion is a strong dislike or avoidance of certain foods, often triggered by negative physical or psychological reactions such as nausea, vomiting, or stress. Pregnant women's nutritional intake and food aversion are closely related. It is potentially leading to nutritional deficiencies among pregnant mothers if avoid key food groups. Therefore, this study aimed to assess magnitude of food aversion during pregnancy. Objective: To assess the magnitude of food aversion and its associated factors among pregnant mothers attending Antenatal Care in Holeta a town’s public health facility, Holeta Ethiopia, 2024 Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design with a mixed approach was conducted among 378 randomly selected pregnant mothers at Holeta health facility in Holeta town from February 1, 2024, to April 30, 2024. Pre-tested and structured face-to-face interview questionnaire and in-depth interview were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The quantitative data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi Info version 7.1.4.0 and then exported to SPSS IBM version 26 for further analysis. The qualitative data were analyzed manually using a content analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the possible factors associated with food aversion. Adjusted OR with the respective 95% CI was used to identify factors associated with food aversion, and p<0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Result: In this study, the magnitude of food aversion was 71.3%, 95% CI: (66.7–75.2%). Being young in their ages (AOR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.15-4.92), having an additional meal (AOR= 4.66, 95% CI: 2.65-8.20, Lack of nutritional counseling during ANC (AOR=2.20, 95% CI: 1.13-4.28), utilized iron/folate supplementation (AOR= 2.03, 95% CI: 1.02-4.04) and intended pregnancy (AOR=2.59, 95% CI: 1.45-4.63) were the factors significantly associated with food aversion during pregnancy, and a mix of physiological, cultural, and psychological were the barriers to food aversion during pregnancy. Conclusion and recommendation: The study found a high magnitude of food aversion among pregnant mothers compared to previous research, with significant associations linked to young ages, lack of nutritional counseling, iron/folate supplementation, Have additional meals, and intended pregnancies. Physiological, cultural, and psychological factors were the barriers to food aversion. Healthcare providers should offer tailored nutritional counseling, especially for young and intended mothers, while addressing cultural misconceptions and providing psychological Support