నైరూప్య

Diet and Physical Activity of Pregnant Women Working In Coffee Plantation, Coorg, South India

Naveen R, Swaroop N, Shweta Murali, Christine Mary Jane, Meenakshi Prasad, and Bobby Joseph

Nutritional status during pregnancy is determined by the macro and micro nutrient intake and dietary planning. To assess the dietary intake of antenatal mothers working in coffee plantations in South India and compare the same with their recommended dietary allowances (RDA) and physical activity. This was a cross sectional study done on 51 pregnant women attending a health facility in Ammathi, Coorg. Data collected included 24 hour dietary recall, physical activity, socioeconomic status and anthropometry. Dietary intake assessment software was used to calculate the macro and micro nutrient intake. Fifty one (85.0%) pregnant women were working in plantations and were doing moderate work.The mean calorie intake was 80.4% of RDA. Forty one (80.4%) and 25 (49%) of the women had inadequate intake of calories and proteins respectively. There was inadequate intake of the following nutrients: iron 51 (100%), folic acid 47 (92.1%), iodine 29 (56.8%), calcium 33 (64.7%). Significant association existed between type of activity and iron intake (t test, t=3.003, p=<0.05). Majority of the pregnant women who were working in the plantations had inadequate intake of calories, proteins, iron and folic acid.