Maternal Nutrition Knowledge and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Narrative Review
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Maternal nutrition knowledge may influence dietary decision-making during pregnancy, yet knowledge, dietary practice, nutritional status, and clinical pregnancy outcomes are frequently treated as interchangeable constructs. The direct evidence linking nutrition knowledge with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes remains uncertain. Objective: To narratively synthesize global and regional evidence on maternal nutrition knowledge and literacy, their determinants, relationships with dietary practice and pregnancy-related outcomes, and the effects of antenatal nutrition-education interventions. Methods: Targeted searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and literature available through PubMed Central identified cross-sectional studies, prospective observational research, randomized controlled trials, and relevant evidence syntheses. Evidence was organized thematically around knowledge levels, socioeconomic and cultural determinants, knowledge–practice relationships, nutritional and pregnancy outcomes, and antenatal education interventions. Results: Nutrition knowledge was frequently incomplete and did not consistently translate into dietary practice. In Ethiopia, adequate knowledge was reported in 73.9% of pregnant women compared with adequate practice in 63.9%. In Ireland, only 25.7% reported adherence to periconceptional folic acid recommendations. Pakistani evidence demonstrated early-pregnancy dietary inadequacy and significant effects of food myths and taboos on dietary choices. Randomized trials showed that structured nutrition interventions could improve literacy, dietary behavior, and gestational weight management; one trial reported gestational weight gain of 13.21±3.61 kg versus 16.18±4.70 kg (p=0.002), while another reduced excessive gestational weight gain from 46.0% to 27.9% (p=0.01). Effects on neonatal anthropometry and other hard clinical outcomes were less consistent. Conclusion: Maternal nutrition knowledge is a modifiable contributor to dietary behavior but should not be regarded as an independent causal determinant of pregnancy outcome. Effective antenatal programs should combine early education with individualized, culturally responsive, and practically feasible dietary support
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
1. Jain S, Maheshwari A, Jain SK. Maternal nutrition and fetal/infant development. Clin Perinatol. 2022. doi:10.1016/j.clp.2022.02.005.
2. Oladebo T, Bobholz F, Folivi K, Dickson-Gomez J, Anguzu R, Lopez AA, et al. A scoping review on nutrition knowledge and nutrition literacy among pregnant women and the prevalence of pregnancy complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nutrients. 2025;17(21):3488. doi:10.3390/nu17213488.
3. Tesfa S, Aderaw Z, Tesfaye A, Abebe H, Tsehay T. Maternal nutritional knowledge, practice and their associated factors during pregnancy in Addis Sub city health centers, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Int J Afr Nurs Sci. 2022;17:100482. doi:10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100482.
4. McCarthy E, Ní Riada C, O'Brien R, Minogue H, McCarthy F, Kiely M. Access to nutrition advice and knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women in Ireland: a cross-sectional study. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2024. doi:10.1111/jhn.13342.
5. Vadsaria K, Mohammed N, Aamir S, Nuruddin R. Are first-trimester pregnant women consuming adequate and diverse diet? A hospital-based cross-sectional study in Karachi, Pakistan. BMC Nutr. 2024;10:91. doi:10.1186/s40795-024-00912-3.
6. Ijaz M, Ahmed Z, Khalid N. Information-seeking behaviors, attitudes and beliefs about pregnancy-related nutrition and supplementation in different communities of Pakistan. Glob Knowl Mem Commun. 2024. doi:10.1108/GKMC-08-2023-0314.
7. Masilela LN, Modjadji P. Child nutrition outcomes and maternal nutrition-related knowledge in rural localities of Mbombela, South Africa. Children (Basel). 2023;10(8):1294. doi:10.3390/children10081294.
8. Habib I, Fazid S, Aleem S, Alshehri AA, Haq ZU. Maternal undernutrition in focus: determinants among pregnant and lactating women in Kurrum District, Pakistan: a community-based study. Pak J Med Sci. 2026;42(2). doi:10.12669/pjms.42.2.13164.
9. Lubrano C, Parisi F, Coco C, Marelli E, Burello E, Cetin I. Associations between maternal nutritional status, hemodynamic parameters, and delivery outcomes in low-risk pregnancies: a prospective observational study. Nutrients. 2024;16(2):183. doi:10.3390/nu16020183.
10. Li Q, Wang J. Effectiveness of nutrition literacy intervention on pregnancy weight and eating behavior: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-07979-3.
11. Goodarzi-Khoigani M, Baghiani Moghadam MH, Nadjarzadeh A, Mardanian F, Fallahzadeh H, Mazloomi Mahmoodabad SS. Prevention of excessive gestational weight gain by nutrition education intervention: a randomized controlled trial. Health Scope. 2018;7. doi:10.5812/jhealthscope.57661.
12. Dodd JM, Deussen AR, Louise J. A randomised trial to optimise gestational weight gain and improve maternal and infant health outcomes through antenatal dietary, lifestyle and exercise advice: the OPTIMISE randomised trial. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):2911. doi:10.3390/nu11122911.
13. Fujimoto H, Iida M, Takeuchi S, Shinohara E, Kubota K, Nakamura S. Effects of an individualized nutritional educational program in pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial in Japan. Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2024. doi:10.1111/jjns.12599.
14. Christian P, Mullany LC. Maternal nutrition and birth outcomes. Epidemiol Rev. 2010;32(1):5–25. doi:10.1093/epirev/mxq001.
15. Ali NS, Azam SI, Noor R. Women's beliefs and practices regarding food restrictions during pregnancy and lactation: a hospital-based study. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2004;16(2):29–31.
16. Nag M. Beliefs and practices about food during pregnancy: implications for maternal nutrition. Econ Polit Wkly. 1994;29(37):2427–2438.