Maternal dietary pattern and its association with birthweight in Northern Ethiopia: A hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Birthweight is a useful public health measure of maternal health, nutrition, healthcare delivery, and child morbidity and mortality. Previous research did not focus on dietary patterns but rather on a single or a few foods or nutrients. This study aimed to assess the maternal dietary pattern and its association with birthweight in northern Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 373 pregnant mothers in their third trimester of pregnancy who came to attend their routine antenatal care service. The food frequency questionnaire was collected from the previous week, and the birthweight data were collected from the medical records after delivery. Three maternal dietary patterns were identified; dietary pattern includes eggs, milk, milk products, and certain fruits and roots. Dietary pattern 2 includes certain vegetables, green leafy vegetables, vitamin A-rich vegetables, pulses such as beans, peas, and chickpeas, and drinks like coffee, tea, and soda. Dietary pattern 3 includes meat, nuts, and grains such as teff, corn, wheat, and white flour. Dietary pattern 1 (ß = 52.45, p = .03) and dietary pattern 2 (ß = 66.76, p = .01), residency (ß = 287.08, p < .001), a mid-upper-arm circumference of 21-23 cm (ß = 187.10, p = .02), a mid-upper-arm circumference of >23 cm (ß = 272, p = .01), and gestational age at delivery (ß = 12.58, p = .004) were the factors significantly associated with increased birthweight. The maternal dietary pattern has a significant association with birthweight. The focus should be given to maternal dietary patterns to prevent suboptimal and high birthweight.

Intimate partner violence as a determinant factor for spontaneous abortion during pregnancy: an unmatched case-control study.

Background: Intimate partner violence affects a significant portion of women worldwide throughout their lifetimes. Ethiopia lacks data that policymakers could utilize to develop context-specific policies for handling intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Objectives: To identify the determinants of spontaneous abortion among women survivors of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Adigrat General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia, in 2020. Methods: A facility based, case-control study design was employed to recruit 371 women (124 cases and 247 controls) attending maternal health services in Adigrat General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia, from March 13 to June 12, 2020. Cases and controls were selected using a consecutive sampling technique. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was carried out to identify potential factors, and a p-value of <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Results: The proportion of any form of intimate partner violence during pregnancy among cases and controls was 53.23 and 34.82%, respectively. Any form of intimate partner violence (AOR = 3.66; 95% CI 1.69-7.95), physical intimate partner violence (AOR = 3.06; 95% CI 1.69-7.95), and an interpregnancy interval of <24 months (AOR = 4.46; 95% CI 1.65, 12.07), were the independent determinants of spontaneous abortion among survivors. Conclusion: Spontaneous abortion was significantly associated with exposure to any form of intimate partner violence, including physical intimate partner violence, and a shorter inter-pregnancy interval.