Nutrition and diet myths, knowledge and practice during pregnancy and lactation among a sample of Egyptian pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

Globally, the burden of maternal malnutrition remains an enormous public health problem; malnourished pregnant women are at increased risk of having low-birth-weight (LBW) infants. Several reports suggest a possible association between malnutrition among lactating mothers and the production of smaller quantities of breast milk. Many women have incorrect nutrition knowledge during pregnancy due to false beliefs derived from popular practices. Our study was conducted to assess nutritional knowledge, myths, and practices among Egyptian women during pregnancy and lactation.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 468 women attending antenatal clinics, including pregnant women and a small proportion of postpartum/lactating women who had delivered shortly before data collection. A pretested 2-page interview questionnaire was used to collect data from the study participants after written informed consent was obtained from them after clarification of the study’s aim. Obstetrics and gynecology experts collected the data from the females who agreed to participate in private and university hospital antenatal care clinics in Cairo, Egypt.

A total of 468 females completed the interview questionnaire. The mean knowledge score was 5 ± 3, with a median score of 5 and an IQR of 3–7, and the mean holding myths score was 3 ± 2, with a median score of 2 and an IQR of 2–4. Regarding the correct answers to the knowledge questions, more than 70% of the participants correctly answered that during the first six months of life, breast milk is the only food a baby requires, and less than 20% of themcorrectly answered that caffeine consumption could provoke premature birth. Regarding the holding myths questions, more than half of the participants heldthe myth that drinking moghat and helba increases the breast milk supply. We found that the most common source of knowledge during pregnancy and lactation among the participants was family and friends’ advice (60%), followed by others (doctors, previous education in school or university) (45%).

Among a sample of Egyptian women, more than half held at least one myth about nutrition and diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so health education at antenatal outpatient clinics should be directed toward those myths to correct them. Older women with sufficient family income showed significantly higher knowledge scores than others.