Dietary Knowledge and Attitude

Dietary knowledge was the strongest individual-level predictor of optimal dietary practice, based on 11 contributing studies, with women with good nutritional knowledge four times more likely to practise optimal dietary behaviours. A favourable attitude toward dietary practices was associated with a nearly fourfold increase in optimal dietary behaviour (OR=3.90, based on three studies). One Nigerian study found that a positive attitude was negatively related to dietary practice, contrasting with Ethiopian findings and underscoring the need for context-specific behaviour-change communication. Good nutritional knowledge enables women to understand the nutritional requirements of pregnancy and make informed food choices.