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Articles

CJPLS: VOL. 13, NO. 1, JUNE 2025

The Influence of Food Taboo on the Nutritional Status of Pregnant Women, Women Breast Feeding Their Babies and Children in Ugboha Village in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria

Submitted
January 9, 2025
Published
2025-02-22

Abstract

The knowledge of nutrition and food taboos do have an apparent impact which is likely to bring about positive and negative health outcomes. This research aimed at exploring practices of food taboos meld by expectant women, women breast feeding their babies and children and the effects on their nutritional status.  A descriptive one-time cross-sectional survey with the use of in-depth interviews on 80 participants that were selected through purposive sampling from the communities under investigation was adopted. The findings revealed that beliefs that are wrapped in the culture and religion of the participants of the research were found to be the main factor influencing the practice of food restrictions among expectant women and women breast feeding their babies and children, as the above mentioned categories were observed to be more prone to malnutrition owing to their being subjected to different degrees of malnutrition practices thereby increasing their chances of developing negative health outcomes which put their health in a compromising state. Proper sensitization of the right nutritional practice by health workers is carried out to educate the indigenes of Ugboha

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