Conclusion
In our study we showed that the nutritional status of primiparous
pregnant women was suboptimal with regard to
BMI, MUAC and cAMA compared to multiparous women.
All these indicators however, were shown to be
age-independent. No significant differences could be observed
in micronutrient status between both study groups,
except for serum vitamin A. However, a tendency for a
marginally better micronutrient status in multiparous women
could be seen, although again due to the effect of age
than parity. The mild to moderate prevalence of malnutrition
found in this study population points to the need
for nutritional interventions to reduce these deficiencies.
Acknowledgement
The authors express their sincere thanks to the participants of
this study.