Food taboos and traditional customs among pregnant women in Papua New Guinea: Missed opportunity for education in antenatal clinics

Abstract

Taking into an account dynamically changing nutrition practices in Papua New Guinea (PNG), this study aimed to document and elucidate ethnocultural food practices related to pregnancy. With convenient sampling, 176 pregnant women were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire. The participants originated from three different ethnic rural communities in Madang Province and one from Simbu Province. Strength of beliefs in traditional food customs and taboos among pregnant women varied significantly between regions, with those believing in taboos ranging from 66 to 13%. The majority of the foods enlisted as taboos for pregnant women were rich in protein. A common belief supporting various taboos was that breaking them may cause deformities in the newborn. The participants demonstrated a low knowledge level on nutrition, which in conjunction with restrictive food taboos led to their suboptimal dietary practices. Our results suggested that communication on nutrition is inadequate in both a formal education and an antenatal care education. Suboptimal nutritional practices by pregnant women might have contributed to the high mother mortality ratio in the country.