Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Nutrition is considered to be one of the main environmental factors influencing the outcome of pregnancy, the child’s development and the mother’s health (2). Given that this period is characterised by profound physiological changes (15), motherhood is a stage of psychic reorganisation due to the major bodily transformations that reactivate their bodily preoccupations (16), evoking a difficulty in adapting to their new bodies, which may expose pregnant women to anxiety, bodily dissatisfaction and problems with their eating habits (17). Objective: By referring to the multidimensional model of the development of eating disorders, our objective would be to study the eating behaviour of pregnant women and to determine the factors that influence it, and to screen pregnant women who are at risk of developing an eating disorder.

Material and methods: In order to meet this objective, a correlational cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women consulting MIPs in theSousse region and in two private practices over a two-month period from 01 February to 31 March 2021. We used three measuring instruments: the FIGO checklist to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women, the BAQ to assess their body image and the SCOFF which is a screening tool for OCD.

Results: Our results showed that almost all (95.5%) of our sample had an unhealthy diet that needs to be reviewed with a nutritionist in more detail. Pregnant women consumed fruit and vegetables moderately (66.5%), wholefoods were the least consumed by the women in our study, while more than half (58.8%) consumed pastries five times a week. The mean global score of the Body Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ) was 140.7±17 with extremes ranging from 87 to 200. Finally, one third (32%) of the women were considered at risk of developing an OCD according to the results of the SCOFF. No significant association was found between the SCOFF and the BAQ, whereas the SCOFF was positively correlated with some subscales of the questionnaire (BAQ).

Conclusion: In terms of conclusion, our results suggest a qualitative evaluation of the nutritional status of pregnant women and action on the determining factors, as well as monitoring by perinatal care providers of their psychological status, including body satisfaction, given its impact in determining the development of CAT in the context of their daily practice.