Effectiveness of Avocado for Chronic Energy Deficiency in Pregnancy in The District of Aceh Besar, Indonesia: A Pilot Study

Malnutrition in pregnant women is one of the critical health problems because it impacts the survival of the mother and the fetus. The most common problems in Indonesia are anemia and chronic energy deficiency (CED). The chronic lack of energy intake is indicated by the size of the maternal mid-upper upper arm circumference (MUAC), which is less than 23.5 cm. The prevalence of CED in pregnancy in Indonesia was 36,8%. This study aimed to assess the benefits of avocado on increasing mid-upper upper arm circumference (MUAC) in pregnant women with chronic energy deficiency (CED). The study design was quasi-experimental with the non-equivalent control group. The study site was four sub-districts in the District of Aceh Besar, Indonesia. The population was all CED in pregnancy in the district of Aceh Besar in 2022. The total sample was 32 pregnant women with CED (16 in the intervention group and 16 in the control group). The pregnant women in the intervention group were given avocado juice every day for 60 days. Meanwhile, in the control group, no treatment was given. The results of the Independent T-test analysis showed that the average increase of MUAC for women in the intervention was 2 cm. Meanwhile, the control group was 1.3 cm. There was a significant difference in increasing the MUAC between the intervention and control groups (P-Value: 0.000). This study indicates that consuming avocado juice every day for two months can increase the MUAC of pregnant women.