The Relationship between Food Consumption Diversity and the Nutritional Status of Pregnant Women as an Effort to Prevent Chronic Energy Deficiency
Main Article Content
Jenni Susi Sihite
Oktaviani Putri Zega
Mei Yati Simatupang
Background: Dietary diversity is an indicator of diet quality, while mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is used to screen pregnant women for chronic energy deficiency risk. This study examined the association between dietary diversity and chronic energy deficiency risk among pregnant women in Kolang, Central Tapanuli, Indonesia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2025 among 40 pregnant women recruited through total sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and MUAC measurements. Dietary diversity was classified as diverse (≥5 food groups) or less diverse (<5 food groups). Chronic energy deficiency risk was defined as MUAC <23.5 cm. Associations were assessed using a two-sided Fisher's exact test and a crude prevalence ratio (PR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results: Twenty-five women (62.5%) consumed diverse diets, and 12 (30.0%) screened positive for chronic energy deficiency risk. Risk prevalence was 60.0% (9/15) in the less diverse group and 12.0% (3/25) in the diverse group. Recalculation of the aggregated contingency table indicated an association between dietary diversity and chronic energy deficiency risk (p = 0.003; PR = 5.00; 95% CI: 1.60–15.62).
Conclusion: Lower dietary diversity was associated with a higher prevalence of chronic energy deficiency risk. These findings support attention to dietary diversity in antenatal care but do not establish causality or preventive effectiveness. Longitudinal studies using standardized dietary assessments and adjustment for confounding are needed.
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