American Journal of Health Research

| Peer-Reviewed |

A Study of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of Lactating Women in Umuahia, Nigeria

Received: 16 November 2013    Accepted:     Published: 20 February 2014
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

Background: The lactation period is a major source of concern in developing countries because of its positive impact on the health and nutrition of children. Adequate nutrition for the mothers is therefore important for their good health as well as for that of their offspring. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess nutritional status of lactating women in Umuahia, Nigeria. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 240 randomly selected women attending post natal clinics with their infants (0-6 months) in four health facilitates in Umuahia North Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia State, Nigeria. A structured, validated and pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain information on socioeconomic characteristics. Body Mass Index (BMI) was used to assess nutritional status by taking height and weight measurements using standard procedures. Dietary intake was assessed using 24 hour recall and a validated food frequency questionnaire. Mean nutrient intake was calculated and expressed as percentages of FAO/WHO recommended values. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine association between BMI and nutrient intake. Results: Majority of the women (71.30%) were in the age range of 26-35yrs and had a total family monthly income >N20,000 (85%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 52.10 and 18.30%, respectively. Cereals/cereal based dishes (1430) and leafy/non leafy vegetables (1079) were consumed more frequently while legumes were less frequently consumed on a daily basis. Energy (2279.01±446.79kcal), protein (50.02±12.23g), calcium (339.21±186.35mg) and vitamin A (698.52±615.50 µgRE) intake were lower than recommendations. No significant correlation was found between BMI and energy intake (p=0.793). Conclusion: Intake of some essential nutrients was lower than recommendations. Intervention programs such as nutrition education and dietary diversity should be emphasized during antenatal and lactation period to improve better health and nutrition outcomes.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14
Published in American Journal of Health Research (Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2014)
Page(s) 20-26
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Food Consumption, Lactating Women, Nutrient Intake, Nutritional Status

References
[1] Picciano MF. Nutrient composition of Human milk, Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2001; 48(1):53–67.
[2] Marcos A, Nova E, Montero A. Changes in the immune system are conditioned by nutrition. Euro J Clin Nutr 2003; 57:S66-S69.
[3] Jones KDJ, Berkley JA, Warner JO. Perinatal nutrition and immunity to infection. Paedatric Allergy and Immunology 2010; 21:564-576.
[4] Sylvia B, Mary Dowd S. The Nursing Mother’s Diet. The art of successful breastfeeding: A Mother’s Guide ; 2002.
[5] Allen LH. B vitamins in Breast Milk: Relative importance of maternal status and intake and effects on infant status and function. Adv Nutr 2012; 3:362
[6] Demissie T, Mekonen Y, Haider J. Agro-ecological comparison levels and correlate of nutritional status of women. Ethiop J Health Dev 2003; 17:189–196.
[7] Wardlaw, G.N and Kessel M. Perspectives in Nutrition. 2nd edition. MaGraw Hill Publishers, USA; 2002.
[8] Rasmussen KM. and McGuire KM. Effects of breastfeeding on maternal health and well-being. Fd Nutr Bull 1996; 17:4.
[9] Sanusi RA, Falana OA. The nutritional status of mothers practicing breastfeeding. Afr J Biomed Res 2009; 12;2.
[10] Ukegbu, PO, Uwaegbute, AC. Body composition changes among lactating mothers in Abia State, Nigeria. American Journal of Food and Nutrition. Am J Fd Nutr 2012; 2(1): 21-25.
[11] Ijarotimi OS. Assessing exclusive breastfeeding practices, dietary intakes and body mass index (BMI) of nursing mothers in Ekiti State of Nigeria. Nutrition Research and Practice 2010;4(3):222-228
[12] NPC. National Population Commission and ICF Macro, Abuja, Nigeria 2008.
[13] Dufour DL, Reina JC, Spurr GB. Energy intake and expenditure of free living lactating Columbian women in an urban setting. Euro J Clin Nutr 2002; 56:205-36.
[14] Araoye MO. Research methodology with statistics for health and social sciences. Nathadex publishers, Nigeria; 2003; 117-119
[15] NDHS. Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Federal Office of Statistics Lagos, Nigeria. ORC Macro,Calverton, Maryland, USA; 2003.
[16] WHO. Physical status: The use and interpretation of anthropometry. Who Technical Report Series 1995; 854:375-409.
[17] Ukegbu PO. Effect of maternal nutrition and body composition on lactation performance and breast milk composition. PhD Thesis, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Abia State Nigeria; 2012.
[18] Oguntona EB, Akinyele IO. Nutrient composition of commonly eaten foods in Nigeria: raw, processed and prepared. Food Basket Foundation Publication Series, Ibadan; 1998.
[19] Kirk RS, Sawyerr R. Pearson’s composition and analysis of foods. 9th Ed. Longmans Scientific and Technical, England; 1991; 223-46.
[20] Reddy NN, Sistrunk WA. Effect of cultivar, size, storage and cooking methods on carbohydrate and some nutrients of sweet potato. J Fd Sci 1980; 45(3):682-4.
[21] AOAC. Official Methods of Analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemist, Washington DC; 2000; 547-67.
[22] FAO/WHO. Human and mineral requirements. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. FAO, Rome; 2002; 251-70.
[23] FAO/WHO. Human Energy Requirements. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation. Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series, FAO, Rome; 2004.
[24] Ukegbu PO, Uwaegbute AC, Ijeh II Anyika JU. Influence of maternal anthropometric measurements and dietary intake on lactation performance in Umuahia urban area of Abia state Nigeria. Nig J Nutr Sci 2012; 33(2):31-9.
[25] Sanusi, R. A and Falana, O. A. The Nutritional Status of Mothers Practicing Breast Feeding In Ibadan, Nigeria. Afr. J. Biomed. Res 2009; 12(2):107-112.
[26] Umeora O, Egwuatu V. Age at menache and menstrual pattern of Igbo women of South East Nigeria. African Reproductive Health 2008; 12(1):90-5.
[27] Lisa CS, Lawrence H. Explaining child malnutrition in developing countries: A cross-country analysis. Research Report. 2000; 111:4.
[28] Müller O, Krawinkel M. Malnutrition and health in developing countries. CMAJ 2005; 173:279-86
[29] Kinra S, Nelder RP, Lewendon GJ. ‘Deprivation and childhood obesity: a cross sectional study of 20,973 children in Plymouth, United Kingdom’. J Epidemiol Community Health 2000; 54:456-60.
[30] Coakley A. Healthy eating: food and diet in low income households. Administration. 2001; 49: 87-103.
[31] Desalu OO, Salami Ak, Oluboye PO, Olarinoye JK (2008). Prevalence and socio-demographic determinants of obesity among adults in an urban Nigerian population. Sahel Med J 2008; 11(2):61-64.
[32] Mahdavi R, Nikniaz L, Arefhosseini S. Energy, fluids intake and beverages consumption pattern among lactating women in tabriz, Iran. Pakistan J Nutr 2009; 8(1):69-73.
[33] Kulkarni B, Shatrugna V, Nagalla B, Rani U. Regional body composition changes during lactation in Indian women from the low-income group and their relationship to the growth of their infants. J Am Coll Nutr 2011; 30(1):57-62.
[34] Cunha J, Macedo da Costa T, Ito MK. Influences of maternal dietary intake and suckling on breast milk lipid and fatty acid composition in low-income women from Brasilia, Brazil. Early Hum Dev 2005; 81(3): 303-11.
[35] Caire-Juvera G, Ortega M, Casanueva E, Bolanos A, de la Barca A. Food components and dietary patterns of two different groups of Mexican lactating women. J Am Coll Nutr 2007; 26(2):156-62.
[36] Alam, DS, Van-Raaij JMA, Hautvast JGAJ, Yunies M, Fuchs GJ. Energy stress during pregnancy and lactation: consequences for maternal nutrition in rural Bangladesh. Euro J Clin Nutr 2003; 57:151-56.
[37] Ayatollahi SMT, Moghaddam AR. A statistical survey on Nutritional status of lactating women. MJIRC 2004; 7(1):15-17.
[38] McLachian, S.K., Christine, D.T., Elaine, L.F. and Janne, G.M. Dietary and biochemical selenium status of urban 6-24 month old south Island New Zealand children and their postpartum mothers. 2004; J Nutr 134:3290-3295.
[39] WHO. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO Consultation. Geneva: WHO Technical Report Series, 894; 2000
[40] Tavares MP, Devincenzi MU, Sachs A, Freitas de Vilhena Abrão AC. Nutritional status and diet quality of nursing mothers on exclusive breastfeeding. Acta Paul Enferm. 2013; 26(3):294-8.
[41] Chen H, Wang P, Ha Y, Ma J, Troy FA, Wang BE. Evaluation of dietary intake of lactating women in China and its potential impact on the health of mothers and infants. BMC Women’s Health 2012; 12:18.
[42] Neumann C, Bwibo N, Murphy S, Sigman M, Whaley S, Allen L, Guthrie D, Weiss R, Demment M. Animal source foods improve dietary quality, micronutrient status, growth and cognitive function of Kenyan school children: Background, study design and baseline findings. Journal of Nutrition 2003; 133:3941S–49S.
[43] Prentice A, Dibba B, Jarjou, LMA, Laskey, MA. Paul AA. Is breast milk calcium concentration influenced by calcium intake during pregnancy? The Lancet 1994; 344.
[44] Zapata CV, Donangdo CM, Woodhouse LR, Abrams SA, Spencer EM, King JC. Calcium homeostasis during pregnancy and lactation in Brazilian women with low calcium intake: a longitudinal study. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 417-439.
[45] Savino F, Bermond S, Bonfante G, Gallo E, Oggero R. Food intakes in breast-feeding mothers. Minerva Pediatrica 2001; 53:177-82.
[46] Sanchez CL, Rodriguez AB, Sanchez J, Gonzales R, Rivero M, Barriga C, Cubero J. Calcium intake nutritional status in breastfeeding women. Arch Latinoam Nutrition 2008; 58:371-76.
[47] Kobati GY, Lartey A, Marquis GS, Colecraft EK, Butler LM. Dietary intakes and body mass indices of non-pregnant, non-lactating (NPNL) women from the coastal and Guinea Savannah zones of Ghana. Afr J Fd, Agric Nutr Dev 2005; 12(1):5843-61.
[48] Sanusi RA, Adebiyi AE. Proximate and mineral composition of commonly consumed foods in Nigeria. Nig J Nutr Sci 2009; 2:54-63.
[49] Nti CA, Larweh PM, Gyemfua-Yeboah Y. Food consumption patterns, dietary quality and health status of expectant mothers: case studies in suburban and rural communities in Ghana. Int J Cons Stud 2002; 26:7-14.
Author Information
  • Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Ukegbu Patricia Ogechi. (2014). A Study of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of Lactating Women in Umuahia, Nigeria. American Journal of Health Research, 2(1), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Ukegbu Patricia Ogechi. A Study of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of Lactating Women in Umuahia, Nigeria. Am. J. Health Res. 2014, 2(1), 20-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Ukegbu Patricia Ogechi. A Study of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of Lactating Women in Umuahia, Nigeria. Am J Health Res. 2014;2(1):20-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14,
      author = {Ukegbu Patricia Ogechi},
      title = {A Study of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of Lactating Women in Umuahia, Nigeria},
      journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
      volume = {2},
      number = {1},
      pages = {20-26},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20140201.14},
      abstract = {Background: The lactation period is a major source of concern in developing countries because of its positive impact on the health and nutrition of children. Adequate nutrition for the mothers is therefore important for their good health as well as for that of their offspring. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess nutritional status of lactating women in Umuahia, Nigeria. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 240 randomly selected women attending post natal clinics with their infants (0-6 months) in four health facilitates in Umuahia North Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia State, Nigeria. A structured, validated and pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain information on socioeconomic characteristics. Body Mass Index (BMI) was used to assess nutritional status by taking height and weight measurements using standard procedures. Dietary intake was assessed using 24 hour recall and a validated food frequency questionnaire. Mean nutrient intake was calculated and expressed as percentages of FAO/WHO recommended values. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine association between BMI and nutrient intake. Results: Majority of the women (71.30%) were in the age range of 26-35yrs and had a total family monthly income >N20,000 (85%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 52.10 and 18.30%, respectively. Cereals/cereal based dishes (1430) and leafy/non leafy vegetables (1079) were consumed more frequently while legumes were less frequently consumed on a daily basis. Energy (2279.01±446.79kcal), protein (50.02±12.23g), calcium (339.21±186.35mg) and vitamin A (698.52±615.50 µgRE) intake were lower than recommendations. No significant correlation was found between BMI and energy intake (p=0.793). Conclusion: Intake of some essential nutrients was lower than recommendations. Intervention programs such as nutrition education and dietary diversity should be emphasized during antenatal and lactation period to improve better health and nutrition outcomes.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - A Study of the Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of Lactating Women in Umuahia, Nigeria
    AU  - Ukegbu Patricia Ogechi
    Y1  - 2014/02/20
    PY  - 2014
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14
    T2  - American Journal of Health Research
    JF  - American Journal of Health Research
    JO  - American Journal of Health Research
    SP  - 20
    EP  - 26
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8796
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20140201.14
    AB  - Background: The lactation period is a major source of concern in developing countries because of its positive impact on the health and nutrition of children. Adequate nutrition for the mothers is therefore important for their good health as well as for that of their offspring. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess nutritional status of lactating women in Umuahia, Nigeria. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 240 randomly selected women attending post natal clinics with their infants (0-6 months) in four health facilitates in Umuahia North Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia State, Nigeria. A structured, validated and pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain information on socioeconomic characteristics. Body Mass Index (BMI) was used to assess nutritional status by taking height and weight measurements using standard procedures. Dietary intake was assessed using 24 hour recall and a validated food frequency questionnaire. Mean nutrient intake was calculated and expressed as percentages of FAO/WHO recommended values. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine association between BMI and nutrient intake. Results: Majority of the women (71.30%) were in the age range of 26-35yrs and had a total family monthly income >N20,000 (85%). The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 52.10 and 18.30%, respectively. Cereals/cereal based dishes (1430) and leafy/non leafy vegetables (1079) were consumed more frequently while legumes were less frequently consumed on a daily basis. Energy (2279.01±446.79kcal), protein (50.02±12.23g), calcium (339.21±186.35mg) and vitamin A (698.52±615.50 µgRE) intake were lower than recommendations. No significant correlation was found between BMI and energy intake (p=0.793). Conclusion: Intake of some essential nutrients was lower than recommendations. Intervention programs such as nutrition education and dietary diversity should be emphasized during antenatal and lactation period to improve better health and nutrition outcomes.
    VL  - 2
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections