Factors affecting dietary practices among adolescent pregnant women in Alexandria.

Pregnancy in adolescence increases nutritional risk due to higher demand of nutrients for maternal and fetal growth. This exploratory descriptive study was aimed to identify factors affecting dietary practices among adolescent pregnant women in Alexandria. A convenient sample of 300 adolescent pregnant women was chosen from four antenatal clinics (Maternity hospitals and M.C.H centers) affiliated to different heath organizations. Two tools were used for data collection: scheduled interviews and a diet scale to assess the dietary practice of adolescent pregnant women. The results revealed that adolescents had a high prevalence of risk factors for dietary practices: nearly half of them 48.34% had low income , 48% were illiterate, 62.6% were housewives, 58.7% their weight were below 50 Kg, 61.7% had poor knowledge about nutrition during pregnancy and their dietary intake did not meet all the nutritional requirements of pregnancy. Finally identifying dietary practices among adolescent pregnant women is mandatory.