Comparing Infant Nutrition in Wanted and Unwanted Pregnancies

BackgroundThe current study was conducted to investigate the relationship between unwanted pregnancy based on couples’ opinions and infant nutrition type in women referred to the health centers in Mashhad city and their husbands.Materials and MethodsIn this analytical-descriptive study, unwanted or wanted progenies were studied from the viewpoints of 366 women referred to the health centers in Mashhad city, Iran and their husbands, and also their relationships with infant nutrition type at the age of 4 months. The data were collected through questionnaires. The validity and reliability of the method and instruments were confirmed by content validity and test-retest. Moreover, data analysis was done using SPSS-16.0 software.ResultsThe average age of women in wanted pregnancy was 26.43±4.57 years and 27.57±5.22 years in unwanted women. The results showed a statistically significant relationship between unwanted pregnancy from the viewpoints of couples and infant's nutritional status (P=0.03). The prevalence of unwanted pregnancy in women with lower education (middle and high school) was higher than those with higher education.ConclusionOur results showed a significant association between baby’s nutrition and unwanted pregnancy. Furthermore, an increased use of non-exclusive breastfeeding in unwanted pregnancy is necessary. Hence, proper use of contraceptive methods, preventing the adverse consequences of unwanted pregnancy such as non-exclusive breastfeeding, useful educational strategies, counseling and health services are necessary to be taken into account.