Prevalence and Determinants of Maternal Malnutrition Among Pregnant and Lactating Women in Gaza: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Authors

Rana Soboh, Abdel Hamid El Bilbeisi

Published in

Journal of primary care & community health. Volume 17. Pages 21501319261500844. Epub Oct 18, 2026.

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)-defined malnutrition and identify associated sociodemographic factors among pregnant and lactating women in Gaza.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026, between 09:00 and 13:00 daily, among 3000 participants aged 15-49 years recruited from selected health facilities and community-based maternal and child health service points across four geographic areas of the Gaza Strip. The questionnaire was developed and administered in Arabic. Malnutrition was assessed using MUAC, with MUAC <23 cm defining malnutrition. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26, with significance set at p-value < 0.05.ResultsOverall, 44.9% of the included participants were malnourished, with a higher prevalence among lactating women (49.3%) than pregnant women (42%). Younger age was associated with higher odds of malnutrition: women aged 18-24 years had increased odds (AOR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.02-1.66; p = 0.034), whereas those aged 25-45 years had lower odds (AOR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.54-0.97; p = 0.033). Compared with Gaza City, residents of the Middle Area (AOR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.54-0.81; p = 0.001) and North Gaza (AOR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.38-0.58; p = 0.001) had lower odds of malnutrition, while internally displaced women had higher odds (AOR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.67; p = 0.012).ConclusionMUAC-defined malnutrition was highly prevalent among the women, with younger age, geographic area, and displacement associated with higher odds of malnutrition. The cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, and MUAC alone does not capture all dimensions of maternal nutritional status. The facility- and community-based sampling and equal geographic allocation, the prevalence estimate should not be interpreted as a population-weighted estimate for all pregnant and lactating women in Gaza.

PMID:
42893517
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Oct 2026.

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