Effectiveness of Nutritional Education on Knowledge, Attitude, and Food Choices Regarding Diet among Pregnant Women in Ibadan Semi-Urban Areas, Oyo State

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of nutritional education on knowledge, attitude and choice
of food regarding diet among pregnant women in Ibadan Semi-urban LGAs, Oyo State. The main
objectives were to determine baseline knowledge, attitude and food choices regarding diet in the
Theory of Planned Behavior. The study addressed gaps in maternal health education by targeting
misconceptions about food choices and improving nutrition literacy in low-resource settings. A
quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 118 pregnant women selected purposively
from antenatal clinics in semi-urban LGAs assigned equally into experimental and control groups.
A structured questionnaire, followed by an eight-week nutritional education program for the
experimental group and post-test and follow-up assessments were conducted, and data were
analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and ANCOVA at a 0.05 significance level. The
findings showed that After intervention, the experimental group showed higher scores in
knowledge (18.8 vs. 16.2), attitude (44.7 vs. 39.4), and food choices (48.4 vs. 41.1). The
experimental group recorded significant improvements between pre- and post-test: Knowledge
increased by 2.4 points (p<0.001). Attitude increased by 5.0 points (p<0.001). Food choices
improved by +7.4 points (p<0.001 These differences were highly significant (p<0.001), showing
a positive effect of nutritional education. In conclusion, structured nutritional education
significantly improved and sustained maternal dietary knowledge. It is recommended that nutrition
education be integrated into routine antenatal care. The study was limited to a semi-urban
population, reducing generalizability.