Linkage between Pregnant Women's Income and Knowledge of Chronic Energy Deficiency

Abstract

LiLA <23.5 cm is a sign of chronic energy deficiency (CED), a nutritional issue that affects pregnant women and is brought on by prolonged fasting. The purpose of this study is to ascertain how food consumption, income, and knowledge relate to the prevalence of CED in expectant mothers. This study, which had a sample size of 44 participants, was carried out in January 2025 using a cross-sectional design approach and a quantitative methodology. Questionnaires used in respondent interviews provided the primary data. Purposive sampling was employed in the sampling strategy, and the Chi-Square statistical test was applied to analyze the data. Eleven (25%) pregnant women suffer from CED, while the majority have poor family income (72.7%), adequate knowledge (81.8%), inadequate energy intake (79.5%), and adequate protein intake (70.5%). While family income, energy intake, and protein intake do not significantly correlate with the occurrence of CED in pregnant women (p-value = >0.05), there is a strong correlation between nutritional knowledge and the condition (p-value = <0.05).