Nutritional Assessment of Working and Non-Working Mothers: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: To compare the nutritional status of working and non-working mothers of preschool children (3-5yrs).

Methodology: Body composition data and information on dietary intake (3-day food recall) of 30 working and 30 non-working mothers of pre-school children was obtained.

Results: According to BMI, 76.7% of the non-working mothers were obese as compared to 50% of the working mothers. Mean body fat of non-working mothers was 31.9% while that of working mothers was 29.25%. No significant differences in the BMI, body fat percentage, total body water and BMR were observed among the non-working and working mothers.  Macronutrient composition of the working and non-working mothers did not differ significantly (p>0.05).However, higher caloric and dietary fat intake was observed among the working mothers. Skipping breakfast was a common habit among the working mothers. Also frequency of consumption of fast-foods with higher caloric and fat content was significantly more among the working mothers as compared to non-working mothers(p<0.05). It was observed that time allocated by the mothers for child-care and household activities  was significantly different for both the groups indicating lesser time spent with the child for the working mothers.

Conclusion: In spite of slight differences in the body composition of the working and non-working mothers, body fat percentage correlated well with the higher energy and dietary fat intake among the working mothers. Also the eating patterns and insufficient time observed among the working mothers may have an effect on their own nutrition as well as on the nutritional status of their children. With the increasing demands of maternal employment, there can be a rising difficulty for the mothers to manage their role as care-givers and as income providers, implicating a risk on their nutritional status.