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. 2025 Aug 10;15(8):e091094.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091094.

What factors influence nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public hospitals in Bahir Dar City, northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Getu Kassa Bitacha  1 , Mulusew Andualem Asemahagn  2 , Zeleke Abebaw Mekonnen  3 , Tewabe Malede Chekol  1 , Mohammedjud Hassen Ahmed  4 , Nega Abebe Meshesha  5 , Habtamu Alganeh Guadie  2 , Geleta Nenko Dube  6
Affiliations

What factors influence nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public hospitals in Bahir Dar City, northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Getu Kassa Bitacha et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the proportion of nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public hospitals in Bahir Dar City, northwest Ethiopia, 2023.

Method: A cross-sectional quantitative supplemented with qualitative study design was conducted from March to April 2023 among 406 pregnant women. Pre-tested structured interviewer-administered and semistructured open-ended questionnaires were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Data were collected using the Kobo toolbox, and SPSS V.25 was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to describe study subjects, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the associated factors. The strength of associations was described using the OR with the corresponding 95% CI.

Result: The study included 406 pregnant mothers with a median age of 28 with an IQR of 8 and 212 (52.2%) from rural settings. Of the total respondents, 173 (42.6%; 95% CI 37.7 to 47.6) of pregnant mothers were nutrition-related information seekers. Educational status, residence, monthly income and nutrition information literacy were significantly associated with nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour.

Conclusion: The proportion of nutrition information seeking among pregnant mothers in Bahir Dar City public hospitals was low. Lower educational status, low nutrition information literacy level, being from a rural residence and low monthly income are significantly associated factors.

Recommendation: Awareness creation for pregnant mothers from rural areas and with low educational status and improving nutrition information literacy of pregnant mothers are important activities to improve their nutrition information-seeking behaviour.

Keywords: Health; Health informatics; NUTRITION & DIETETICS; Nutrition; PUBLIC HEALTH.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Nutrition-related information-seeking behaviour among pregnant mothers in Bahir Dar City public hospitals, northwest Ethiopia, 2023.
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