Dietary practices among antenatal women in Sri Lanka: prevalence and associated factors

BMJ Open 2026 Open access

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Authors: L H D D Jayasooriya, Ulluvis Hewage Tharushi Uthpala, R D S G Rajamuni, A M M Afridi, N M I Nawanjana, H S P Fernando, D K M De Silva, HMCM Herath
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-103651
Cited by: 0
References: 35

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and associated factors of dietary practices among antenatal women in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. DESIGN: This descriptive cross-sectional study examined dietary practices among antenatal mothers in four Medical Officer of Health areas in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A total of 422 participants were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected via a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire and analysed using SPSS V.26. Dietary diversity, food variety and animal-source food consumption were assessed. Poisson regression identified predictors of dietary practices, adjusting for socio-economic and pregnancy-related factors. The statistical significance was set at p

Fields of Study & Subjects

Child Nutrition and Water Access Nutrition Health and Food Behavior Nutritional Studies and Diet

Publication details

Journal / source
BMJ Open
Volume
16
Issue
2
Pages
e103651–e103651
Publication date
1 February 2026
Language
EN