How Anemia Perceptions Shape Dietary Diversity Practice in Pregnancy: A Health Belief Model Study in Tanzania

Pregnant women are not meeting adequate nutritional requirements. Accessibility and costs are barriers that contribute to low consumption of vitamin A-rich fruits, eggs, nuts, seeds, and dairy products. Higher education level, perceiving the risk, and severity of anaemia during pregnancy are the predictors of good dietary diversity practice. We recommend a tailored intervention, highlighting the risk and severity of pregnancy-related anemia and the benefits of dietary diversification with locally available iron sources.