Samenvatting

This study investigated the influence of beliefs on food choices and dietary practices of pregnant women in James Town, Accra - Ghana. This was premised on the fact that several maternal deaths were associated with malnutrition during pregnancy. The outcome of this study is intended to enable the targeting of interventions appropriately. James Town was chosen as a study area for two cardinal reasons; It is a Ga ethnic dominated community in urban Accra, and in most places, ethnicity is the basis for the prevalence of belief systems. Secondly, James Town is less than 3 kilometres from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), where most of the serious pregnancy cases are referred to. Cases of maternal deaths relating to nutrition could therefore originate from James Town. A study of autopsy records in Korle revealed adisturbing rate of pregnancy related deaths were linked to malnutrition.