Provision of a Nutritious Meal Plan Effectively Improves Body Weight Among Mothers at Risk of Chronic Energy Deficiency

Abstract

Poor nutritional status of pregnant women before and during pregnancy is a major cause of various serious health problems for both mother and baby. These include the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, and neonatal and prenatal mortality. To determine the effectiveness of providing a healthy diet in increasing body weight among mothers at risk of chronic energy deficiency at Wara Selatan Public Health Center in 2025. This study used a quasi-experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The population consisted of all pregnant women with low body weight during pregnancy in the working area of Wara Selatan Public Health Center. A total of 60 respondents were selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using the Program for Social Science with a simple logistic regression statistical test and a significance level of α = 0.05. The P-value was 0.013, indicating that the provision of a healthy diet was effective in increasing maternal body weight. Based on these results, it can be concluded that providing a healthy diet has a significant effect on improving maternal weight during pregnancy. Based on the T-test, the P-value was found to be 0.013, indicating that the provision of a healthy diet has a significant impact on increasing body weight in pregnant women. It can be concluded that a healthy diet is effective in improving maternal nutritional status.