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Association of Food Taboos and Pica with Dietary Patterns in Pregnant Women

Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To find out the association of food taboos and pica with dietary patterns in pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. Place and Duration of the Study: Al-Shifa School of Public Health, Al-Shifa Eye Trust Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from April to September 2023. METHODOLOGY: Pregnant women were selected through a non-probability consecutive sampling. The Chi-square test was applied to determine the association between dietary practices and pica, food taboos, and socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women. RESULTS: Out of 139 pregnant women, the majority were between the age of 20 and 30 years (n = 89, 64%). It was noted that 58% of respondents (n = 81) did not know about food taboos. Fifty-six women (40%) reported avoiding some food items during pregnancy for multiple reasons. Nearly 49% women (n = 68) were unaware of pica, and 45% women (n = 63) were reported taking non-food items during pregnancy. Overall, it was noted that women with poor dietary practices were higher (n = 72, 58%) as compared to those with good dietary practices. Dietary practices were significantly associated with the educational, income, and residential status of women and their husbands (p <0.05). Sources of nutritional information, food avoided during pregnancy, and the types of foods avoided during pregnancy were also significantly associated with dietary practices among pregnant women (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Poor dietary practices were slightly more common than good practices in pregnant women. Food taboos significantly affect dietary habits, while pica is not significantly associated with dietary intake. KEY WORDS: Dietary practices, Food taboos, Pica, Pregnant women, Public hospitals.
DOI: 10.29271/jcpsp.2025.12.1617
Language: English
Field: Nursing
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4417070775
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