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A Study of Nutritional Status of Pregnant Women of Some Villages in Balasore District, Orissa

Abstract Pregnant women have been widely recognized as a vulnerable group from health point of view. They need more food than normal person for the proper nourishment of the growing fetus. The field of nutrition of the pregnant women, particularly in rural area, has been sadly neglected. Against this backdrop, the study was carried out among 105 pregnant women from 20 different villages of Balasore district. A pre-tested structured interview schedule was used for the collection of general information. 24 hour recall method of diet survey was applied for the collection of dietary information. Hemoglobin level was collected from doctor’s report for observing the anaemic condition. It was found that the mean iron, calcium, carotene and folic acid was much lower than the RDA volumes. Percent incidence of common nutritional deficiencies among the pregnant women was much higher in the third trimester than the 1st and 2nd trimester. In spite of better education and high-income, nutrition intake was lower than RDA in case of many sample women. Based upon the analysis, the study finally emphasizes the need for popularizing cultivation of low cost nutrition greens and vegetables in each household and imparting nutrition education to the village women.