Assessing the Relationship between Individual Level Dietary Intake and the Occurrence of Preeclampsia/Eclampsia and Haemorrhage among Pregnant Women in Eastern Region of Ghana: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE-E) and haemorrhage are dangerous diseases that occur in pregnancy. This study seeks to assess the relationship between individual-level dietary intake and the occurrence of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and haemorrhage among pregnant women in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The prospective cohort study involved all pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy (>28 weeks gestational age) reporting for antenatal care (ANC) in seven Hospitals in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study used a 24-hour repeated dietary recall to elicit dietary intake information from pregnant women until delivery. The majority of pregnant women in this study had adequate consumption of phosphorus far above the RDI, coupled with an inadequate intake of calcium, excess intake of sodium, and manganese. The average dietary intake for carbohydrates in this study was rather higher than the RDA. There was a statistically significant association between PE-E and the intake of vitamin C. A statistically significant association exists between the intake of calcium and vitamin A and haemorrhage. The findings show that pregnant women who consumed adequate and excess amounts of vitamin C reduced their odds of developing PE-E by 41.7% and 39.8%, respectively. The results show that pregnant women who had an excess intake of calcium were 6.128 times the odds of developing haemorrhage compared to those who had inadequate intake. Again, pregnant women who had adequate intake of vitamin A were 4.351 times the odds of developing haemorrhage compared to those who had inadequate intake. It is recommended that more nutrition specialists to be trained and posted to counsel pregnant women on nutrition in pregnancy to avert the consequences of PE-E and haemorrhage.