PREVALENCE AND DETERMINANTS OF SPICES AND SEEDS USED IN PREGNANCY

2019-04-19T11:24:22+00:00

Purpose: The use of spices and seeds in pregnancy in not new however it is not subjected to any regulations like conventional medications. They are generally promoted as safe in pregnancy but concerns have been raised about their toxicity. This study tries to determine the prevalence, and identify the commonly used seeds and spices in pregnancy. The secondary objective was to explore the factors or predictors for using these herbs in pregnancy.
Methods: This study was conducted as a cross sectional survey and comprised women attending the Qassim University clinic for a period of 6 months from July 1st 2012-31st Dec 2012. Total of 375 women were interviewed for demographic variables, type of the herbs they were using and the reason behind their use. The source of information or motivation was also asked. SPSS version 16 and Microsoft Office 2007 for windows 7 was used. Descriptive statistics was used to present the demographical variables and multinomial regression was used to explain the effects of different variables.
Results: Most of the participants were over the age of 41, attended primary school or below, were housewives and were G2-4 or above. Only 5% of participants had postgraduate education. Most of the participants (37%) were in first trimester of pregnancy. A majority of population 94.4% were using herbal products during pregnancy. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) 71 (18.93%), Black seeds (Nigella Sativa) 69 (18.4%) and hilba (Fenugreek) (15.7%), were the three most commonly used herbs. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy 63 (16.80%) and Gastroesophageal reflex 60 (16%) were the commonest conditions supposed to be treated by herbs. The multinomial logistic regression of herbs on age, education, occupation, parity, period of gestation, family motivation, previous experience and current diabetes was statistically significant (χ 2 = 87.346, p < .000). The reference group for the logistic regression model was the individuals who reported no herbal use (n = 21, 5.6%). When evaluated individually education, occupation and family motivation, were significant predictors of whether a participant would be in the herbal group, compared to the group who was taking no herbs in pregnancy.
Conclusion: Herbal use is very common amongst pregnant women in the area (94.4%). Low education status and family motivation are the major determinants of using herbs in pregnancy. Ginger, hilba and black seeds are the most popular herbs. Considering the great prevalence (94.4%) of herbal use in pregnancy an urgent need exists to explore the situation all over the country. Further research is required to explore their effects on the developing offsprings and education programs are required for antenatal women to guide them regarding the safety of herbal use based on scientific evidence.

Libyan Medical Journal

PREVALENCE AND DETERMINANTS OF SPICES AND SEEDS USED IN PREGNANCY