Erratum: Importance of Palm's heart for pregnant women - CORRIGENDUM.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/jns.2022.112.].

The impacts of okra consumption on the nutritional status of pregnant women, west Ethiopia.

Food-insecurity and poor-quality diets remain a challenge for pregnant women. Consumption of okra has a great impact on improving the nutritional status of pregnant women. Okra plays a critical role in the prevention of malnutrition among pregnant women living in resource-limited settings. The evidence is scarce on the impacts of okra on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement of pregnant women. A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among randomly selected 224 pregnant women from June 1 to July 30, 2020. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. The MUAC was measured by using an adult MUAC measuring tape. Data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis by linear regression. The statistical significance of variables was declared at a p-value of .05, and unstandardized beta (ß) coefficients along with a 95% confidence interval were computed. The proportion of pregnant women with low MUAC (≤22 cm) was 42.4%. In the multivariable linear regression model, hemoglobin concentration (ß = 0.346, [95% CI: 0.153, 0.539], p = .001), food insecurity (ß = -0.887, (95% CI: -1.441, -0.334), p = .002), daily consumption of okra (ß = 1.269, [95% CI: 0.583, 1.956], p ≤ .001), and women working in NGO (ß = 0.443, [95% CI: 0.256, 0.630], p ≤ .001) were significant variables. The prevalence of malnutrition among pregnant women (MUAC ≤ 22 cm) was 42.4%. Therefore, behavioral change communication interventions to promote okra consumption on regular basis were recommended.

Antenatal care follow-up was significantly associated with a higher probability of high dietary diversity score among pregnant women in okra-producing areas of western Ethiopia: proportional odds model.

Background: Dietary diversity is important for pregnant women since it has been associated with nutrient adequacy. It is very crucial to ensure optimal fetal health and development. There is no evidence at the community level on the magnitude of dietary diversity and its predictors among pregnant women in okra-producing areas of western Ethiopia. Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of dietary diversity and its associated factors among pregnant women. Design: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among randomly selected 224 pregnant women in western Ethiopia. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The qualitative open 24-h recall was used to assess the level of dietary diversity. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were used by SPSS version 25. An adjusted proportional odds ratio along with a 95% confidence interval [CI] was computed to measure the strengths of the association at a P ≤ 0.05. Result: This study revealed that more than one-fourth, 64 (28.6%), of the respondents were found to have high dietary diversity scores. Antenatal Care [ANC] visits (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.10, [95% CI: 1.13, 3.90], P = 0.01), changing food intake (AOR = 2.97, [95% CI: 1.16, 3.67], P = 0.002), and being food secure household (AOR = 2.63, [95% CI: 1.38, 5.00], P = 0.003) were significantly associated with a higher probability of having high dietary diversity score. However, lack of formal education (AOR = 0.34, [95% CI: 0.61, 0.89]) was inversely associated with the probability of having high dietary diversity. Conclusion: More than half of pregnant women in western Ethiopia were found to have low dietary diversity. Therefore, ANC follow-up, dietary modification, and promotion of frequent use of wild edible plants (okra) to maintain household food security were very crucial.

Importance of palm's heart for pregnant women.

The consumption of locally nutrient-rich edible plants in rural areas can be used to satisfy the dietary diversity of pregnant women. Date palm is one of the wild edible plants in different parts of the world. Studies on wild edible plants in Ethiopia cover only about 5 % of the country's districts. Furthermore, the nutrient composition of the palm heart of Phoenix reclinata is not yet investigated as it is commonly consumed by indigenous people in western Ethiopia. The utilization of such plants requires strong policy support based on scientific evidence to maintain the nutrition security of pregnant women. Homogeneous samples of 1000 grams (g) of palm hearts were collected randomly. The macronutrient contents were determined using standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2000). The flame Photometric method was used for potassium and sodium determination. The carbohydrate concentration (g/100 g) was 78⋅2. It covers approximately 78⋅5 % of the total daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). In line with this, the concentrations of minerals such as potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+), per milligram (mg/100 g) of the sample were 1962⋅3 and 7⋅9, respectively. The palm heart of Phoenix reclinata has many nutritional values and is important for pregnant women. Its nutrient composition is comparable with different staple foods of the country and can contribute to household food security in rural communities.