PERCEIVED LIFESTYLE FACTORS INFLUENCING MISCARRIAGE AMONG WOMEN IN ILORIN EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KWARA STATE

Abstract

Pregnancy is often viewed as a delicate and transformative period in a woman's life, where every lifestyle choice can significantly impact maternal and foetal health. For expectant mothers, understanding how these lifestyle choices contribute to the risk of miscarriage is crucial for promoting healthier pregnancies. The study examined perceived lifestyle factors influencing miscarriage among women in Ilorin East LGA, Kwara State. The objectives examined were if (i) smoking is lifestyle factor influencing miscarriage among pregnant women and (ii) poor nutrition are lifestyle factors influencing miscarriage among pregnant women. A descriptive research design of survey type was adopted for the study involving 306 pregnant women as the sample. A structured questionnaire which was validated by three experts and tested for reliability that yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.82 was used for data collection. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage to answer the research questions while Chi-square analysis was used to test the hypotheses for the study at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of the study revealed that smoking (Cal. ᵪ2 val. 138.08 > Crit. ᵪ2 val. 16.92) and poor nutrition Cal. ᵪ2 val. 41.39 > Crit. ᵪ2 val. 16.92) are significantly perceived lifestyle factors influencing miscarriage among pregnant women. The study concluded that smoking and poor nutrition are lifestyle factors influencing miscarriage among pregnant women in Ilorin East LGA, Kwara State. It was recommended that health educator should implement public health awareness and smoking cessation programs to educate pregnant women about the risks of smoking on pregnancy outcomes. Nutritional education and support programs should be introduced to improve dietary habits among pregnant women