Dietary iron status and health of third trimester pregnant women in Kenya: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Insufficient dietary iron intake is a concern because most foods eaten in developing countries comprise of cereals which are sources of non-heme iron which become bioavailable when eaten with enhancers of absorption. There is an increased demand of iron, particularly in the third trimester, a time an additional supply is required for the growth of foetus and placenta, and to increase the maternal total red cell mass. This study aimed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the dietary iron intake using 24-hour recall and food frequency questionnaires. Third trimester dietary iron intake survey was a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of third trimester pregnant women aged 14 – 48 years. Pregnant women were asked to report all foods eaten in the last 24 hours, guided by a glass and asked to state if the quantity of food eaten filled what fraction of the glass. Glass -full of food has a standard mass of 337.5g. The 24 hour recall was repeated for three consecutive days. Quantity of food eaten was compared with the values in Food Consumption Tables to estimate dietary iron intake of each respondent. The bioavailable iron was calculated at 10% of amount of iron in the food for vegetarian populations as recommended in Food Consumption Tables for use in Africa. Mean daily dietary iron intake was 19.62mg (n=109), which was same as the recommended mean of 21mg per day (standard error of the mean 0.6964, Z= -1.02, p<0.05). Furthermore, 15.4% of third trimester pregnant women ate foods with below 19.62mg of iron per. There was no significant correlation between quantity of food eaten and amount of iron in the food (r = 0.0959). The mean daily dietary iron intake is indicative that third trimester pregnant women were mildly iron deficient according to WHO/Office of dietary supplements/Sehmi, and is a suitable index to assess iron status in populations or groups.

Key words: dietary iron, iron status, third trimester pregnancy