Appetite Sensations in Pregnancy among Agropastoral Women in Rural Tanzania

Abstract

Women all over the globe report physical and appetite sensations in early pregnancy, and this study contributes to this growing literature by reporting on the appetite sensations experienced by pregnant women from rural Tanzania. Appetite changes associated with 545 pregnancies were compiled from surveys conducted to report on the prevalence of appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, joint pain, cravings, aversions, and pica experienced by agropastoral women from rural north-central Tanzania. In addition to these symptoms, specific craved and aversive food groups are described. Statistical associations among appetite sensations, NVP, and birthweight are tested. The only symptom associated with a lower average birth weight for newborns was vomiting. In addition to investigating micronutrient content and chemical properties of specific food and non-food items, future research should include assessing relationships among various appetite sensations and short- and long-term health outcomes for both the mother and child.

Keywords:

• food cravings
• food aversions
• pregnancy
• nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
• NVP
• Tanzania

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author gratefully acknowledges the patience and participation of women at the fieldsite and appreciates that Andrea Wiley and Elizabeth Abrams read and commented on earlier drafts of this article. In 2005, hospital based data were collected with Erin Schelar and Jessica Volk; their initial analysis of that data set was helpful. Financial support was provided Fulbright Hays-DDRA, Washington University in St. Louis and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Notes

¹ Food cravings can be defined as “an intense desire or urge to eat a specific food” (Kemps and Tiggeman 2010, 86), whereas aversions typically refer to avoided foods/smells because of the strong negative response that they elicit (Scott and Downey 2007).