Food taboo practices among pregnant women in Deder town, Eastern Ethiopia, 2024

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy is influenced by food taboo practices, which vary across cultural contexts. Food taboos during pregnancy significantly affect fetal outcomes by impacting maternal nutrition. Understanding these practices in Eastern Ethiopia is crucial for designing culturally appropriate interventions. This could contribute to a better understanding of food taboos practices and inform the development of culturally sensitive interventions to promote optimal nutrition during pregnancy. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the extent of food taboo practices among pregnant women in Deder town, Eastern Ethiopia.

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 418 pregnant women. The study participants were selected by systematic random sampling. The data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.02 and then exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was fitted to identify factors associated with food taboo practices. P-value < 0.05 was used as a cut-off point for statistical significance.

The study showed that 56% (95% CI: 51.2, 60.8%) of pregnant women practiced food taboos. Pregnant women who were unable to read and write (AOR=3.36, 95%CI: 1.24, 9.16), did not have antenatal care (ANC) follow-up (AOR=2.04, 95%CI: 1.27, 3.29), food aversion (AOR=2.04, 95%CI: 1.31, 3.18), no additional meal practice (AOR=1.77, 95%CI: 1.14, 2.76), poor knowledge level (AOR=1.96, 95%CI: 1.24, 3.09), and unfavorable attitude (AOR=1.91, 95%CI: 1.22, 2.99) were significantly associated with food taboos practice.

More than half of pregnant women practiced food taboos, indicating a significant public health concern. Culturally sensitive nutrition education and awareness programs at health facilities are necessary to address these practices and improve maternal nutrition outcomes.