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Mattew O. Oluleke, Akintayo O. Ogunwale, Oyedunni S. Arulogun, et al

4.2 Limitations of the Study

Although the study achieved its aims, there were some unavoidable limitations. First, this research
was conducted on a small size of pregnant women population who were attending antenatal care in
public or government-owned primary health centers. Therefore, to generalize the results for a larger
population or all pregnant women in the study area, the study should have included pregnant women
who registered with private clinics or hospitals as well as those who did not attend antenatal clinics.
However, taking into consideration the scientific steps taken to carry out the study, it could be con-
cluded that the results constitute a fair reflection of the phenomenon among pregnant women in the
study area. Second, the simplicity of statistical analyses used in the study may also be considered as
a form of limitation of this study. Inclusion of advanced statistical analyses such as multivariate lo-
gistic regression would have yielded more robust results relevant to the study. Finally, sole reliance
on the information given by the respondents might have created some degree of subjectivity. In order
to reduce biases and incorrect responses, trained research assistants were used to interview the re-
search participants. Participants were provided with all the information related to the study and were
encouraged to give honest information.

5. Conclusions

Most respondents had good knowledge of dietary intake. However, cultural taboos and religious be-
liefs were major reasons for food restrictions or avoidance during pregnancy, and were more pro-
nounced among pregnant women with low education and low monthly income. The findings suggest
a need for several nutrition education interventions for pregnant women. During antenatal visits, nu-
trition education should be intensified and emphasis should be placed on healthy eating patterns,
healthy food selection, and the importance of fruits and vegetables consumption for the supply of
nutrients and fibers to the body. Restriction of some healthy food during pregnancy can also be posi-
tively modified by nutritional counseling during antenatal visits. Efforts should be made to de-
sign community health education interventions that can target cultural taboos and religious beliefs
affecting the dietary intake of pregnant women.

Conflict of Interest and Funding
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or
publication of this article. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.
Ethical Consideration

Ethical approval to conduct this study was obtained from Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching
Hospital Ethical Review Committee. Letters of permission to conduct the study in the PHC centers
within the LGAs were received from the Director of PHC in each of the LGAs. The study partici-
pants were given adequate information on the study and they were told that their participation in the
study was voluntary. They were assured of utmost confidentiality of their responses. There was no
identifier on the questionnaire; participants who did not want to take part in the study were excused
to observe the principle of autonomy. Only participants who signed or filled the informed consent
were interviewed.

References

Adeleye O A, Akoria O A, Shuaib Z O, et al. (2010). Barriers and knowledge of benefit regarding family planning
methods among women attending antenatal clinics in a Southern Nigerian community. Asian Journal of Medical
Sciences, 2(4): 190–194.
American Dietetic Association. (2005). Nutrition Trends Survey. American Dietetic Association: Chicago, IL, USA.
Beydoun M A and Wang Y. (2008). Do nutrition knowledge and beliefs modify the association of socioeconomic

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