Background: Undernutrition during pregnancy in the developing
countries is a major public health problem due to its strong association with
maternal and child morbidity and mortality. The available data on the extent
and determinants of under-nutrition among
pregnant women in Kenya is scant. This main objective of the study is to
establish the extent and determinants of undernutrition in pregnant women
attending a public hospital in Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study
was conducted among 162 randomly selected pregnant women who attended antenatal
clinic at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, a well-known public health facility in
Nairobi. A semi-structured questionnaire was
used to collect the data. Nutritional status of the pregnant mothers was
determined using mid-upper arm circumference measurement. Hemoglobin level was
extracted from the maternal antenatal card to determine their anemic status. Descriptive and inferential
analyses were done using SPSS Software (version 22.0). Frequencies and
proportions were generated for categorical variables. While mean and standard
deviation were computed for continuous variables. The chi-square test of independence
was employed to establish the relationship between the independent variables
and dependent variable. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to
identify the variables independently linked to maternal undernutrition. Results:
The overall prevalence of undernutrition and anemia among the pregnant women
was 27% and 39.7%, respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that
being single [AOR = 4.27; 95% CI = 2.21 - 8.32, P = 0.001], divorced/separated
[AOR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.13 - 4.87; P = 0.021], self-employed [AOR = 4.27; 95%
CI = 2.21 - 8.32; P = 0.022], illiterate [AOR = 4.31; 95% CI = 2.55 - 8.20; P =
0.007), having short birth interval (<24 months) [AOR = 2.54; 95% CI = 1.43
- 5.53; P = 0.042] and being anemic [AOR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.66 - 4.97; P =
0.037] were the variables significantly and independently associated
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