Dietary Pattern, Nutrition-Related Knowledge and Attitudes of Working Women in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Healthy eating behaviour of women is critical not only for their health but also for their children’s health and well-being. The present study examined the dietary pattern, nutrition-related knowledge, and attitudes of working women in Western Province, Sri Lanka. In addition, this study identified the factors associated with dietary diversity score (DDS). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 working women, aged 20–60 years, in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The data on socio-demography, dietary patterns, and nutrition-related knowledge and attitudes were collected. Overall, 38% of the women were overweight and 13% were obese. The median frequency of intake of chicken, fish, eggs, milk and milk products, green leafy vegetables, and fruits were 2, 5, 2, 9, 5, and 10 respectively, per week. A large majority of the women (70%) had tea/coffee with sugar and snacks (60%) at least four times a week. Only a third of the women met the minimum DDS, while more than half of the women had good nutrition-related knowledge and attitudes. Women with good nutrition-related knowledge were more frequent consumers of roots/tubers, shellfish, vegetables, fruit, fruit juice, nuts and oils, and fast food. Women with good nutrition-related attitudes had a significantly lower frequency of consumption of soya meat, while having a higher frequency of consumption of fast food. Multiple regression analysis showed that age and household income were significantly independently related to DDS, while attitudes were negatively associated. While there was a trend, the association of nutrition-related knowledge with DDS was not statistically significant (p = 0.057). The overall F ratio (8.46) was highly significant (p = 0.001) and the adjusted R(2) was 0.093. The results demonstrate that a significant proportion of working women have good basic nutrition-related knowledge and attitudes, while two-thirds of them do not meet the minimum DDS. Furthermore, age, family income, and knowledge were positively associated with DDS, while attitudes were negatively associated. Before designing any intervention, further research is needed using a qualitative approach to understand how nutrition knowledge and eating behaviour are related in this population group.