Evaluation of traditional and modern nutrition approaches during pregnancy

This study was planned to determine the nutritional knowledge levels and nutritional habits of pregnant and breastfeeding women, to determine their nutritional status during pregnancy, their level of hearing and applying traditional discourses, to compare these parameters according to their education levels and to evaluate the relationship between modern nutrition. This study was conducted with 359 women by survey method between February 10, 2023 and March 18, 2023. Women who were pregnant over the age of 18 or had a newborn baby aged 0-12 months were included in the study. The data of the study were collected with the Data Collection Form containing the sociodemographic information of the participants, the Nutrition Knowledge Level Scale for Adults (YETBİD), the Traditional Discourses Heard During Pregnancy Survey and the Emotional Appetite survey. In the study, the average age of the participants was found to be 32.32 and 3.93. It was determined that 75% of the participants were university graduates and 88.3% did not have any chronic disease. It was found that 90.8% of the group participating in the research did not apply traditional methods, and 91.4% of traditional practices did not think they were correct and effective. There was no significant relationship between YETBİD sub-factor scores and hearing and applying traditional discourses (p greater than 0.05). A significant relationship was found between the negative score of the emotional appetite survey and the state of thinking that traditional discourses are effective (p = 0.023). Additionally, a significant negative correlation was detected between YETBİD basic nutrition knowledge sub-factor and emotional appetite survey positive scores. As a result, the participants' high level of education and involvement in business life suggest that they are more familiar with modern and scientific developments. According to the results of this study, participants should be followed and informed by dietitians or health professionals at regular intervals during pregnancy and the following period, according to today's nutritional acceptance.