A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat

Background: Taboo in a social or religious setting means a custom prohibiting or restricting certain practices. Many foods related myths are common in society which leads to poor pregnancy outcome. It is important to make the community aware about it and educate them regarding this. Being a tribal c...

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Main Authors: Niyati Harshadkumar Zaveri, Shivaji Dnyandeo Patil, Mohabatsinh Baria, Divya Bharatkumar Barot, Anup Kharde, Rahul Tahilramani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1505_24
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author Niyati Harshadkumar Zaveri
Shivaji Dnyandeo Patil
Mohabatsinh Baria
Divya Bharatkumar Barot
Anup Kharde
Rahul Tahilramani
author_facet Niyati Harshadkumar Zaveri
Shivaji Dnyandeo Patil
Mohabatsinh Baria
Divya Bharatkumar Barot
Anup Kharde
Rahul Tahilramani
author_sort Niyati Harshadkumar Zaveri
collection DOAJ
description Background: Taboo in a social or religious setting means a custom prohibiting or restricting certain practices. Many foods related myths are common in society which leads to poor pregnancy outcome. It is important to make the community aware about it and educate them regarding this. Being a tribal community, taboos are more prevalent and this was the main aim to do the study regarding food taboos. Study: The type of the study is Qualitative research method; The study was done in a tribal community in the eastern part of Gujarat. The subjects were taken on the basis of convenience sampling. Focus group discussion (FGD) was done and data was generated. The data was recorded in notes and audio recordings, which were further analyzed. Results: The study was conducted in a tribal area with 80 participants. Out of which 37 were pregnant mothers and 43 were mothers with babies aged 0 to 6 months. The most common foods avoided were Papaya, pineapple, chicken, eggs, onion, garlic, eggplant, Jaggery, Guwar, urad daal, and various other food items. Discussion: This study shows that many foods are considered hot and cold and they are restricted during pregnancy and postpartum. There is a strong notion in the community that consumption of certain foods is associated with poor outcomes of pregnancy and the health of the baby. Conclusion: The food taboo followed in these communities can lead to potential nutritional deficiencies which in turn can lead to adverse effects in the child and the mother. A need for education regarding proper nutritional practice is necessary at this level.
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spelling doaj-art-d1ca08c65d15428cb573c45cc8210d712025-08-20T02:28:11ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352025-04-011441333133710.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1505_24A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern GujaratNiyati Harshadkumar ZaveriShivaji Dnyandeo PatilMohabatsinh BariaDivya Bharatkumar BarotAnup KhardeRahul TahilramaniBackground: Taboo in a social or religious setting means a custom prohibiting or restricting certain practices. Many foods related myths are common in society which leads to poor pregnancy outcome. It is important to make the community aware about it and educate them regarding this. Being a tribal community, taboos are more prevalent and this was the main aim to do the study regarding food taboos. Study: The type of the study is Qualitative research method; The study was done in a tribal community in the eastern part of Gujarat. The subjects were taken on the basis of convenience sampling. Focus group discussion (FGD) was done and data was generated. The data was recorded in notes and audio recordings, which were further analyzed. Results: The study was conducted in a tribal area with 80 participants. Out of which 37 were pregnant mothers and 43 were mothers with babies aged 0 to 6 months. The most common foods avoided were Papaya, pineapple, chicken, eggs, onion, garlic, eggplant, Jaggery, Guwar, urad daal, and various other food items. Discussion: This study shows that many foods are considered hot and cold and they are restricted during pregnancy and postpartum. There is a strong notion in the community that consumption of certain foods is associated with poor outcomes of pregnancy and the health of the baby. Conclusion: The food taboo followed in these communities can lead to potential nutritional deficiencies which in turn can lead to adverse effects in the child and the mother. A need for education regarding proper nutritional practice is necessary at this level.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1505_24customsmaternal healthneonatal healthtribal health
spellingShingle Niyati Harshadkumar Zaveri
Shivaji Dnyandeo Patil
Mohabatsinh Baria
Divya Bharatkumar Barot
Anup Kharde
Rahul Tahilramani
A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
customs
maternal health
neonatal health
tribal health
title A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat
title_full A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat
title_fullStr A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat
title_full_unstemmed A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat
title_short A study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of Eastern Gujarat
title_sort study on traditional food practices and taboo during pregnancy and lactation in tribal population of eastern gujarat
topic customs
maternal health
neonatal health
tribal health
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1505_24
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