Assessment Of Nutritional Status Among A Sample Of Pregnant Women In Al -Samawah City In Iraq

Abstract

Poor nutritional status among pregnant women remains a common public health problem in Iraq and contributes to increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Aim: Assess the nutritional status of pregnant women and to determine the association between Body Mass Index(BMI)categories and socio-demographic and obstetric variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 pregnant women. Participants were recruited from Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital, Maternity and Children's Teaching Hospital, and Samawah Primary Healthcare Sector. Data were collected from December 21,2025 to March 1, 2026. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed to determine its internal consistency and stability. Results: Overweight and obesity were observed in 47.3% and 26.3% of women, respectively. A significant association was found between age group and BMI categories (p = 0.044) with women aged 20-34 years having higher rates of overweight and obesity (81.0% and 77.1%, respectively). Additionally, there was a significant association between BMI and gravidity (p = 0.025), as multigravida women were more likely to fall into the overweight and obese categories (79.9% and 84.8%, respectively). Gestational trimester showed a highly significant association with BMI (p = 0.001), where obesity was higher during the third trimester (58. 1%). Nevertheless, no significant associations were found between BMI and other socio-demographic, obstetric, or physical activity characteristics. Conclusion: Pregnant women are frequently overweight or obese, and these conditions were significantly associated with maternal age, gravidity and gestational trimester. However, no significant associations were found between BMI and most other socio-demographic, obstetric, or physical activity variables.