| Author | Kalpana B C |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.RD-16-08 |
| Subject(s) | Maternal and infant welfare--Nutrition
|
| Note | 200 p. : ill. + 1 online resource |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. RD-16-08 |
| Abstract | This research assesses selected maternal nutrition practices and explores factors associated with the nutrition practice of rural women. The objective of this research is to examine nutrition practices and analyze factors influencing essential nutrition practices of pregnant and breastfeeding women. It further investigates perceived benefits, arriers and needs of women in order to recommend actions to improve maternal nutrition interventions. The essential nutrition actions framework guides nutrition practices encompassed by the study. This research was conducted with pregnant and breastfeeding women in rural Nepal. Women from disadvantaged households and non - disadvantaged households were included in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied for a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the phenomenon. Standardized questionnaire survey was supplemented by in - depth interview, key informant interviews and focus groups discussions. Analysis presented in this research is predominantly based on primary data with supportive secondary data from government reports, plans and policies. It was found that, overall women have knowledge that dietary practices need improvement but knowledge about each dietary practice varies. Women followed recommended dietary practices more after delivery than in pregnancy. Pregnant and breastfeeding women had low to medium dietary diversity. Women from disadvantaged household had low adherence to following dietary practices and they had lower diversity in their diet. More women took iron supplements as compare to vitamin - A supplement, but half of the women did not continue taking iron after delivery. Most of the women knew about and followed safe drinking water and hygiene practices but were constrained by resource barriers. Maternal nutrition knowledge and practices differed in disadvantaged and non - disadvantaged women. Both knowledge about and practices were influenced by several factors like women’s level of education, age, social group, decision - making autonomy and source of information. Younger and more educated women knew about many nutrition recommendations. For women from disadvantaged households, being a farmer, making household decisions and getting nutrition information from non - government agencies, health professionals improved number of meals eaten in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Non - DAG women with higher education and from non - dalit groups were found to be eating more frequently during pregnancy and after delivery. Younger women with autonomy in household decisions took deworming tablets in pregnancy compared to older women. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation was highly influenced by household characteristics like income which determine access and ownership of resources. Most women believed that following good nutrition practices improve their own and baby’s health. Women felt that financial barrier played a big role in food consumption especially in terms of eating diverse and micronutrient rich foods. For both rich and poor households, access to food was limited due to lack of local food market. Marginalized groups like disadvantaged households faced more challenges and barriers in improving nutrition practices than non - disadvantaged groups of the society. Improving knowledge of nutrition practices, facilitating good behavior through family support and improving food availability are some of the ways to improve maternal nutrition. There is need for further research to better understand non - compliance to iron and vitamin - A supplements. |
| Year | 2016 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. RD-16-08 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Soparth Pongquan; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed;
Chatterjee, Joyee S.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Thailand (HM Queen); |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2016 |