Evaluation of pregnant women who comply and do not comply with a healthy nutrition plan in terms of anemia

This thesis aims to evaluate pregnant women who comply with and do not comply with a healthy nutrition plan in terms of anemia. Adequate and balanced nutrition during pregnancy is critical for maternal and fetal health. Anemia is one of the most common nutrition-related problems during pregnancy and the risk of occurrence increases in cases of inadequate nutrition. In this context, the nutritional habits, diet quality and nutrient intakes of 61 pregnant women diagnosed with anemia were evaluated within the scope of the study; healthy nutrition levels were determined with the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale (MEDAS). It was determined that the majority of the participants (78.7%) skipped meals, and the most frequently skipped meals were lunch and snacks. MEDAS scores classified 60.6% of the participants as nutritionally compliant, 23% as non-compliant and 16.4% as strictly compliant. The mean energy and iron intakes were 1911.42±358.22 kkal and 12.78±4.33 mg, respectively, and a statistically significant positive relationship was found between iron levels and energy intake (r=0.544; p<0.01). However, no significant relationship was observed between MEDAS score and variables such as iron, body mass index (BMI), and age (p>0.05). No significant difference was found in nutritional elements, MEDAS scores, and iron levels according to trimester periods. On the other hand, a statistically significant and strong positive correlation was found between pre-pregnancy BMI and BMI values during pregnancy (r = 0.893; p < 0.01). These results show that adequate and balanced nutrition should be supported in pregnant women and that energy intake may have an effect on anemia. Increasing nutritional recommendations for pregnant women will contribute to reducing the risk of anemia.