Abstract:
Background: Undernutrition among pregnant mother poses a significant risk to maternal and fetal health, leading to a cascade of adverse outcomes that can affect both immediate and long-term health. Undernutrition in pregnant mother is prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, where socioeconomic factors, food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare contribute to inadequate maternal nutrition.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the magnitude of undernutrition and associated factors among pregnant mother attending antenatal care at a public health center in Gulelle sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2024.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at institution level from July 20, to August 20, 2024. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 383 pregnant mother. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and MUAC measurement. Data were entered into Epi-Data 3.1 and exported to SPSS 27.0 for analysis. Descriptive summary was used to identify the characteristics of the study participants. Bivariable binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify the candidate variables to fit the multivariable binary logistic regression model, at a p-value of < 0.25. Adjusted odds ratios along with 95% confidence interval were estimated to measure the strength of the association. The statistical significance level was declared at a p-value < 0.05 for final model.
Result: This study revealed that the overall magnitude of under-nutrition among pregnant mother was 20.47% (95%CI: 16.4%-24.5%). Educational status (AOR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.17-8.51), monthly income (AOR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.43-6.38), family size (AOR: 3.46; 95% CI: 1.30-9.18), a birth interval (AOR: 3.53; 95% CI: 1.27-9.81), being sick in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.05-4.81), pregnant mother who did not received iron supplementation for current pregnancy (AOR: 3.81; 95% CI: 1.67-8.68) and pregnant mother who consumed less than 30 food items per week (AOR: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.11-9.61) were significantly associated factors.
Conclusion: The magnitude of under-nutrition among pregnant mother was relatively high. Strategies to improve maternal nutrition and health, by implementing educational programmes, financial support, iron supplementation, family planning education, community awareness, and optimal birth spacing were recommended for concerned body
