The DOI matches its Crossref record; 59 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
What stops us from eating: a qualitative investigation of dietary barriers during pregnancy in Punjab, Pakistan
Open accessAbstract
Objective: Adequate dietary intake during pregnancy is vital for the health and nutritional status of both mother and fetus. The nutritional status of reproductive age women in Pakistan is poor, with 14 % being underweight (BMI < 18·5) and 42 % experiencing Fe deficiency anaemia. This may stem from beliefs, practices and other barriers influencing dietary intake. This qualitative study seeks to determine which factors impact dietary intake during pregnancy in rural Punjab. Design: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted and then analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Three purposively selected rural districts (Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpatan) with the highest prevalence of maternal and child malnutrition in the province of Punjab, Pakistan Participants: Mothers with children under age two (n 29) and healthcare providers with at least 5 years of experience working in the district (n 12). Results: We identified a combination of physiological, socio-cultural and structural barriers that inhibited healthful dietary intake during pregnancy. The primary physiological barriers to optimal dietary intake and dietary practices included food aversions and food cravings. Food classification, fear of a difficult childbirth, fear of high blood pressure and household food politics were the principal socio-cultural barriers. Additionally, two structural barriers, inadequate antenatal counseling and a lack of affordable food options, were identified. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that complex barriers prevent pregnant women in the Punjab area from consuming adequate dietary intake and that antenatal health education programmes and structural interventions are needed to support healthful dietary practices during this critical period.
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“In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), cultural food practices often exacerbate challenges in the management of GDM [164,165].”
From Medical Nutrition Therapy for Women with Gestational Diabetes: Current Practice and Future Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [165]
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Cited by
Harrison, C. L., Khomami, M. B., Enticott, J., Thangaratinam, S., Rogozińska, E., & Teede, H. J. (2023) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.18031 · Cited by 38
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Aubel, J. (2023) · Global Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/17579759231191494 · Cited by 23
Metadata
- Authors
- Asim, M., Ahmed, Z. H., Nichols, A. R., Rickman, R., Neiterman, E., Mahmood, A., & Widen, E. M.
- Affiliations
- Aga Khan University (PK)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Widen, Elizabeth M
- ORCID
- Widen, Elizabeth M
- Venue
- Public Health Nutrition
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2021-04-19
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 760-769
- ISSN
- 1368-9800 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2727
- PMC
- PMC8523588
- OpenAlex
- W3152897503
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 4.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Public Health Nutrition (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R00HD086304, P2CHD042849)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Public Health and Nutrition
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Keywords
- dietary intake during pregnancy, barriers to healthy eating, food aversion, food cravings, food classification, fear of childbirth, antenatal counseling, maternal nutrition, rural Punjab, food affordability
- MeSH terms
- Child, Child, Preschool, Diet, Female, Humans, Nutritional Status, Pakistan, Pregnancy, Rural Population, Pregnant People, Pregnant Women
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- Asim, M., Ahmed, Z. H., Nichols, A. R., Rickman, R., Neiterman, E., Mahmood, A., & Widen, E. M. (2022). What stops us from eating: a qualitative investigation of dietary barriers during pregnancy in Punjab, Pakistan. Public Health Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980021001737
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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
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