Knowledge and practice of pregnant women about diet and its impact on Hemoglobin level in a tertiary care hospital.

Anemia during pregnancy effects both maternal and child health.Prevalence of anemia in during pregnancy is high. Anemia during pregnancy is one of the major causes for maternal mortality. Intake of healthy diet, iron and folic acid intake during pregnancy could have a profound influence on their haemoglobin levels.It is showed that socio demographic factors like education, income, parity, exposure to counselling having influence on anemia. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of pregnant women on diet regarding anemia,iron rich food  and also to assess the impact of these factors on haemoglobin level.Women who are pregnant are at a higher risk of developing anemia.  Anaemia during pregnancy can be a mild condition and easily treated if caught early on. However, it can become dangerous, to both the mother and the baby, if it goes untreated. Anaemia during pregnancy is considered severe when hemoglobin concentration is less than 7.0g /dL, moderate when hemoglobin concentration between 7.0-9.9g/dL and mild when HB concentration is between 10.0-11g/dl .The cause of anemia during pregnancy include nutritional deficiency of iron,folate and vitamin B12 and also parasitic infection.Anemia in pregnancy mainly due to poor nutritional intake, repeated infections and frequent pregnancies.It is also associated with socioeconomic conditions, lifestyle and health seeking behaviours across different cultures.Eating a healthy diet protects against anemia.Iron is found in meats, iron fortified breads ,cereals,Eggs,spinach and dried fruits.VitB12 is found in meat,fish ,shellfish,eggs and dairy products. High levels of folate are found in green leafy vegetables, beans, beef etc. Consuming the diet rich foods will be  helpful to  prevent anemia.Women who are vegetarians can replace animal foods with lentils ,beans and soy milk .Eating plenty of citrus fruit and avoiding tea and cover with or soon after meals ,may help the absorption of iron from the food and may help prevent anaemia in pregnancy.